Kung Fu Kitsune
by Zaion Indulias
Summary: After the battle at the Valley of the End Naruto finds him self in another world, transformed into the form of a fox. Now he must master Kung Fu in order to become the Dragon Warrior in his quest to return home. Pairing tbd later. Suggestions welcome.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Kung Fu Panda. This will be your only warning.

* * *

**Kung Fu Kitsune**

_By Zaion Indulias_

**Prologue: A Dismaying Occurrence**

Sasuke staggered as he landed on the ground, depowering from his level two cursed seal of heaven. He had done it. He had killed his best friend.

Before him was the massive crater that had resulted from the collision of his Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan. The ground was still melted from the heat of the blast, and there was no sign of Naruto anywhere. Even more, Sasuke could not sense even the faintest trace of the power that Naruto had been exuding during the fight.

With a large grin on his face and a maniacal laugh on his voice he turned and leapt away, not noticing how his Sharingan had shifted, turning from three simple tomoe spinning around the red ring into a six pointed star formed by the interlocking of three sharp-pointed ovals.

On a nearby bluff a large green shinobi wearing a black cloak with red clouds rose out of the ground. Inside the pair of large plant-like leaves that surrounded his head the black and white face of the Akatsuki was not smiling.

"Pein-sama is not going to like this…"

* * *

Elsewhere, in a dimension entirely different from the one which he had been in moments before, an exhausted Naruto appeared in the middle of the air in a brilliant flash of purple light. He barely had time to open his eyes and scream before he began to plummet towards the ground below him.

Analytically part of Naruto's mind analyzed the sight before him as he fell. Elegant architecture surrounding a courtyard filled with cheering people, check. People that are apparently talking animals, check. Panda on a flaming rocket approaching at breakneck speed, check.

_Wait, what?!!_

Naruto reacted out of instinct, spinning in the air with what little was left of his energy and lashing out with a kick that redirected the incoming panda projectile of pummeling off course and back towards the town Naruto could now see at the base of the tall mountain.

Naruto continued to fall, and as he neared the ground below him he held out his hands and feet before him, forcing as much chakra as he could gather out in an effort to lessen his impact with the ground.

WHMMMPHH

Naruto slammed into the ground, his limbs holding out for a fraction of a second before he collapsed entirely onto his stomach.

He came to shortly after impact to find five large humanoid animals all staring at him as he blinked and shook his head to clear it. Before him stood a monkey, a tiger, a snake, a crane, and a mantis. Slowly he turned his head to find what looked to be an old tortoise holding a staff pointing a finger at him.

As Naruto stumbled to his feet with what tiny fragment of energy remained within him the tortoise spoke in a soft voice.

"How interesting."

"Master, are you pointing at me?" The tigress behind Naruto asked, her gender being clearly indicated by the sound of her voice.

"Him." The tortoise replied, his finger following Naruto as he stumbled to the side slightly.

"Who?" Naruto asked in confusion, side stepping to avoid the finger. Said tortoise's finger pointedly followed Naruto no matter where he stepped.

"You." The turtle replied.

The tortoise stepped forward and reached out with his staff, lifting Naruto's arm into the air as he proclaimed loudly to the gathered animals. "The universe has brought us the dragon warrior."

"What?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"What?" The five animals who stood before him asked in surprise.

"What?" A small red panda standing on a higher part of the courtyard overseeing the presentation the Furious Five had been performing said in surprise.

"Wait, what the hell happened to me?!!" Naruto yelled in surprise as he finally realized that his arm was not pale and orange clad like he had expected to see. It was instead covered in fine orangey-red fur and ended in a paw with elegant claws on it. As he became more aware of his body he realized that he could feel the breeze directly on his skin, or rather fur, his whiskers seemed to be sending him signals on the exact motion of the air around him, and he suddenly became aware of nine tails waving behind his head.

Naruto turned his head to get a better look behind him and promptly fainted, collapsing on the ground in complete exhaustion. Nine long red-tipped tails settled onto his back as a gong was sounded and four attendants carrying a litter rushed down the steps and lifted Naruto into the elegant vehicle to carry him up the long steps and into the Jade Palace proper. As they carried off the snoozing fox the tortoise watched on with a faint smile while the five warriors looked confused and the red panda narrowed his eyes in anger and dismay.

No one noticed a large panda that had barely managed to pull him self up the steps from town and to the opening of the gates just in time to see the fox carried off into the palace.

* * *

AN: I know I promised that the next chapter up would be of Konoha's Golden Viper, but this crazy plot bunny hit while I was on my way back from hanging out with this really awesome girl I know and it just wouldn't leave me alone. So I present to you now the prologue of Kung Fu Kitsune. I will likely write the first true chapter of this fic after I complete Chapter 12 of Konoha's Golden Viper.

On another note, it was brought to my attention that my review responses are apparently technically looked down upon by . As such I have backed up all currently uploaded stories for safety's sake, and as soon as I have the spare time I will be going through the lengthy process of cleaning up older chapters of fics and replacing the existing ones with copies cleaned of the review responses, as I am currently discontinuing them. To any admins who are alerted about them, please, I respectfully request the time to get the chapters cleaned rather than having to do a complete reupload of the fics, and I respectfully apologize. I somehow missed the prohibition against them in the terms of service when I read it, and for that I am very very sorry.

Anyways, I apologize to any offended, but this plot bunny had to be given life. And many apologies to Po, but you shall be a great noodle chef in my story. More details to follow.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Didn't I say you only got one warning? XD

* * *

**Kung Fu Kitsune**

_By Zaion Indulias_

**Chapter 1: Stranger from a Distant Land**

Naruto woke to find sun streaming through the paper walls of the room he was currently laid out in. He was laying on a futon with the cover drawn over him in a room that was apparently comprised of sliding walls like he remembered seeing in several of the fancier clan compounds back in Konoha during his pranking days. The once-blond boy remained still for several long seconds before sighing and raising his arm above his face. Sure enough, he hadn't been dreaming. His arm really had transformed.

_But why? Last thing I really remember I was fighting Sasuke. I was using a Rasengan and he was using a Chidori while using that Hebi-teme's damned Cursed Seal. One moment our attacks were colliding, the next I'm falling out of the sky and I've been turned into…into some kind of anthropomorphic fox._

Naruto remained silent for several long moments before letting out a deep breath.

_Well, doesn't look like Kyuubi's awake. If he was responsible for this I'm certain he would be sucking me into my own mind so he could gloat._

After several long moments he sat up and stretched before catching sight of something out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head he blinked.

_Nope, not imagining it._

In front of Naruto's face were waving several orange-furred red-tipped tails that seemed to move with a life of their own, and the poor boy was certain that if he turned his head the other direction he would have spotted another several tails.

_Did…did I fully absorb the Kyuubi or something?_

"Ah, good, so you are awake." A gruff voice came from Naruto's left as one of the panels in the wall slid open.

Into the room walked a short-red panda wearing a red robe belted together by a black sash. He did not look happy.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked. "And where am I?"

Master Shifu paused.

_Can this fox really be this naïve?_

"You are in the Jade Palace." Master Shifu said. "And Master Oogway seems to think that you are the Dragon Warrior."

Naruto blinked and scratched his head in confusion.

"Um, the what now?" He asked.

Master Shifu narrowed his eyes.

"Get dressed and meet me in the Hall of Warriors in five minutes." He said testily before spinning and exiting the room.

Naruto blinked and stared after the red panda for several long seconds before a thought occurred to him.

"Wait, where is that?!"

* * *

Five minutes later, a flustered Naruto rushed into a large hall in the elegant compound lined with elegantly carved jade pillars. To either side of him were stands displaying various weapons, armor, and other relics. Before Naruto at the end of the hall was a large pool surrounded by row after row of lit candles. Slowly, Naruto began to approach the pool, staring around him in awe at the elegance of the room. He had never seen anything like it before in his life, not even in the Hokage's Tower. Tentatively he stepped up to the pool of water and leant over, looking down at his reflection in it, letting out a faint gasp as he finally got a look at him self in the calm waters.

His entire body had transformed into what he imagined a fox would look like if it stood on two legs and was structured just a little more like a human. As he had been walking there he had noticed his increased flexibility, but finally seeing himself drove home once and for all that the change was real. He was still wearing his orange pants, albeit with a few more holes in them than before his fight with Sasuke, but the rest of his clothes had disappeared. His fur was an orangey red, and the nine long fluffy tails that currently floated behind him were tipped with dark red fur. His eyes were now slitted and golden like a fox's, and his face was that of a fox with large gold-tipped ears on top of his head.

"Whoah…" He said as he continued to stare down at his reflection. "I guess I really am a fox now."

"If you are quite done admiring your appearance." Master Shifu's voice came from behind Naruto, causing the boy-turned-fox to spin around. If he had still been fully human he would have been blushing from embarrassment.

"Gomen. My name's Naruto." Naruto said as he reached up and scratched his neck sheepishly.

"So you are the Legendary Dragon Warrior, hmm?" Master Shifu asked.

Naruto blinked in confusion.

"Um, if you say so…"

"Wrong. You are not the Dragon Warrior. You will never be the Dragon Warrior until you have the learned the secret of the Dragon Scroll." Master Shifu said, pointing above the pool with a violent jab.

Naruto looked up and his jaw dropped in awe at the massive golden dragon that was hanging from the ceiling with an elegant looking red and gold scroll held in its mouth.

"Um, that's all well and good…" Naruto said. "But, um, I kinda need to get home. I was in the middle of a fight and the next thing I knew I was dropping out of the sky here."

Naruto looked down at him self.

"And apparently however I got here also transformed me as well."

Master Shifu sniffed in annoyance.

"Into what, a useless ball of fluff?"

_I know Master Oogway was going to point at Tigress. If this buffoon hadn't fallen in the way she would be receiving the Dragon Scroll now. I must make this buffoon wish to give up so that Tigress might receive the scroll instead._

"No, into a fox." Naruto said matter of factly as he got an idea. "Hey, it must be because I was carrying the Kyuubi sealed inside of me that I turned from a human into a fox when I got teleported. Yeah, that's what must have happened!!"

Master Shifu's eyes widened for a moment in surprise before narrowing again.

"Do not make jokes in bad taste, boy. There is no way for a human to enter our realm. That is just impossible."

Naruto just chuckled, his tails wrapping themselves around him momentarily.

"They don't call me the Number One Surprising Ninja for nothing." He said.

Master Shifu narrowed his eyes again.

"Whether you are a ninja or not has no bearing. The fact remains that you will never achieve the Dragon Scroll until you master the highest level of kung fu, and that is clearly impossible if that one is someone like you."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in response.

"Careful old man, I've had lots of people look down upon me in my life, and I've made every single one of them eat their words. I'm going to be Hokage someday, and there is nothing that I can't master if it's in order to improve my abilities."

Master Shifu chuckled.

"Well then, we better get started with your training."

Master Shifu turned and began to walk out of the Hall of Warriors with Naruto hot on his tail. When they reached the building Master Shifu was heading for and the red panda had pushed the door open Naruto was greeted to the sight of the monkey, tiger, viper, crane, and mantis from when he first arrived in this strange world the day before blurring through an intense obstacle course. His jaw dropped for a moment before he began to grin at seeing their skill. Here were true warriors, people of skill he could train with!

It was a testament to Naruto's acceptance of the strange, unnatural, and often absurd things in the world that he was completely accepting of talking animals that were vaguely human in their appearance and behavior. After all, he wasn't the Toad Summoner for nothing.

Master Shifu coughed lightly, catching the attention of all five of the warriors. They instantly stopped what they were doing and began to head over to him. As soon as the Furious Five had gathered behind him Master Shifu spoke.

"Ok, Fox, why don't you show me what you can do."

Naruto grinned.

"Yosh!!"

Master Shifu looked at him in confusion as the boy brought his paws together and began to move his paws, intertwining his fingers in an odd manner.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!" He cried out as…nothing happened.

Naruto looked down at his paws in confusion.

"What's going on? I did everything perfectly!! It should have worked!!"

Master Shifu had to resist the urge to snicker, while behind him Tigress snorted in disdain and Monkey began to chuckle. Naruto heard and saw all of this and began to frown.

"Dammit, it must be because of this body. Everything is screwed up."

"Well, why don't you display something actually useful instead of just doing stupid hand gestures then?" Master Shifu said in a seemingly helpful tone.

Naruto glared at him.

"Hey, if my body wasn't messed up those hand signs would have done something useful." He muttered as he eyed the obstacle course before him for a moment before grinning again. "Ok, I can do this."

He stepped up to the segment of the course and analyzed the movements of the rolling floor. This first segment involved spiked pendulums waving back and forth across a field of constantly moving logs that appeared to simulate either serpents or roiling water, obviously a course designed to test speed and agility. Naruto crouched down slightly, focusing his chakra into his feet, not noticing that the energy released from his body now had a faint purple color to it.

With a sharp cry Naruto ran forward, easily keeping his balance on the moving logs as he made his way across the floor. As the first of the pendulums dropped towards him, Naruto turned and dropped over backwards, catching the next log with his hands before going into a handstand as the pendulum passed over head. As he came fully upright in the handstand, he lashed out with a sharp kick that caused the pendulum to accelerate in its ascension until it slammed and stuck into the wall.

Continuing his motion, Naruto flipped into the air and landed on his feet again, rushing forward and easily dodging the remaining pendulums before lightly leaping off the rolling logs. He was extremely thankful that while his ability to use jutsu was apparently gone or damaged he could still manipulate chakra directly.

Looking back over his shoulder at Master Shifu and the shocked Furious Five he smiled and then rushed down the steps towards the center of the floor, which was filled with training dummies covered in spikes.

_No harder than fighting my own Kage Bunshin_. He thought to himself as he dove into the midst of the dummies, striking out and dodging the counterattacks as the dummies began to spin. He raced his way through until he stood with his back to Master Shifu and the Five, every single dummy before spinning rapidly.

_Now, how to do better than that…?_ Naruto thought for a few moments before he remembered something from his fight with Sasuke. _Oh…my…god…THAT'S IT!!_

"YOSH!!!" Naruto cried out loudly, breaking the silence and surprising the already shocked martial artists. "Watch this!"

Naruto held his right paw out and open at his side, grinning as he crouched slightly and began to focus for a few moments.

At first nothing happened, then the air above his paw began to swirl slowly and a purple glow began to appear and flow through the air. As the gathered martial artists watched even Master Shifu's jaw dropped in awe as a swirling sphere of purple light appeared in Naruto's paw. The purple energy that was flowing around it quickly condensed until there was a single solid sphere of swirling light in Naruto's paw. The fox boy looked over his shoulder and grinned at the six watchers before rushing forward and thrusting his palm out towards the nearest target.

"Rasengan!!!" He cried out as he struck forward, driving the spiraling ball of energy into the nearest of the spinning targets.

The target was immediately destroyed as the spinning ball of chakra drilled into the wood, splintering and shattering the target before causing it to explode completely. The shards propelled outward by their momentum caused the six onlookers to duck in order to avoid any stray shards that flew their way. When the sawdust that was scattered into the air finally began to settle, Master Shifu coughed and watched in awe as the Fox came into view.

Naruto was slightly bent over and his chest was heaving as he fought to catch his breath. His hand was still outstretched, and blood ran from a variety of small cuts on his arm and chest, the result of stray splinters of wood from his destruction of the target.

"Whoops." He chuckled as he cocked his head to look back towards Master Shifu. "Guess that target wasn't as sturdy as I thought."

Each of the Furious Five were thinking a different thing.

_He really is the Dragon Warrior…_ Crane.

_Was his earlier behavior just a joke at our expense?_ Three guesses.

_The way he moved, it was so elegant yet forceful at the same time. _Viper.

_That technique, it almost looked like a Chi strike, but I've never even heard of anyone manifesting Chi outside of the body before._ Mantis.

_This proves nothing._ Tigress.

Naruto chuckled and stood up fully. As he did so an aura of purple chakra shimmered faintly around him and the bleeding spots on his body began to steam faintly for a few moments. Suddenly the force of the chakra he was beginning to unconsciously exert cracked the floor below him, causing him to look sheepish and rub the back of his head as it momentarily flared larger and took on the shape of a nine tailed fox around his body.

Master Shifu had to rub his eyes to be sure he had really seen what had just happened.

He had.

* * *

"So who exactly is Master Oogway?" Naruto asked as Master Shifu lead him out of the Jade Palace and along a narrow mountain path towards a large peach tree that was in full bloom on the edge of a cliff. In the distance the sun was beginning to set, bathing the entire cliff side in soft hues of red and pink.

"He was the founder of our school and is the oldest living master of our Kung Fu style." Shifu said testily. "How can you not know this?"

"I told you already, I'm not from here. I got transported here and got turned into this fox form." Naruto replied petulantly, annoyed that this adult wouldn't just believe that he was telling the truth.

"And again, I tell you that that is impossible." Master Shifu replied as he hurried along.

As the base of the tree finally came into view, Naruto caught sight of the same old tortoise who had been pointing his claw at Naruto when he had…arrived in this strange place. He was sitting with a lamp dangling from the staff he carried, and was watching as blossoms slowly drifted off of the peach tree into the breeze.

"Master Oogway." Master Shifu said, bowing slightly as he stopped. Behind him Naruto stopped and looked down at the diminutive red panda who had led him here and at the larger tortoise who was slowly turning to face him.

"Yes Shifu, what is it?" Oogway asked in that irritatingly calm voice of his.

"This…boy has shown abilities I have never seen before." Master Shifu replied. "I do not believe that he is the Dragon Warrior."

Master Oogway motioned for Master Shifu to come closer, and began to nod his head and hmm in acknowledgement of Master Shifu's words as he explained his thoughts on the matter in a hurried whisper.

Naruto mostly ignored their conversation at first, but then he caught Master Shifu saying something about him 'not being trustworthy', that just struck a nerve. Naruto didn't even bother to realize he shouldn't have been able to hear the man speak as he spoke up.

"Hey, just because you don't believe what I have been saying doesn't mean it isn't true." He said in an aggrieved tone of voice as he stepped closer to the two masters.

Shifu shot him a glare while Oogway regarded him thoughtfully.

"I've told you nothing but the truth since I arrived, and yet all you've done is berate me and treat me as if I'm not worthy to be here. Well maybe I'm not, but I didn't choose to be here in the first place. Right now, all I want is to understand what has happened to me and find a way home."

Naruto paused for a moment as a thought entered his head.

"If you say I am supposed to be this…this Dragon Warrior person, then maybe that's why I'm here, and maybe my key to getting back is mastering this…Kung Fu that you keep talking about. It just seems like a form of Taijutsu to me, if what I saw today was an example, which means I should be able to learn it pretty quickly. I'd learn faster of course if I could use my Kage Bunshin, but apparently being stuck in this body prevents me from using my chakra correctly to perform jutsu, at least ones that require hand seals."

Naruto stopped speaking and merely regarded the two masters.

Oogway raised his hand to his chin and spoke softly, more to him self really than to anyone else.

"How interesting…could it really be…?"

When both Naruto and Shifu looked at him in confusion he smiled and approached Naruto, walking around the boy and analyzing him from all directions, particularly the way his nine tails flicked around him as if they had a mind of their own.

"Tell me, young one, where you come from, have you ever heard of beings called the 'Tailed Ones'?"

Naruto stiffened at Oogway's words and turned tensely to look at the old tortoise.

"H-how do you know about the Bijuu?" He asked in worry. If these people knew about the Bijuu they would probably ostracize him, or try to kill him just like most of Konoha had.

"Calm yourself young one, there is no need for worry." Master Oogway said, favoring the boy with a calming smile. "I merely asked because there has only ever been one other fox that has possessed tails such as yours. She was a beautiful creature I met in my youth, one of my companions when I was first developing the art of Kung Fu into what is taught today."

Oogway closed his eyes for a moment in reminiscence before continuing. On Naruto's other side Master Shifu's ears were at full attention. Never in his long years of life had Master Oogway told him this story.

"We were all quite young back then, all ambitious as well. Then one day we discovered a secret, the ultimate secret of the universe, and our world was changed forever. While they eagerly took advantage of their newfound knowledge, rapidly growing in power and strength, I saw the dangers that lay down that path, and instead focused on contemplation and meditation. Our differences continued to grow until one day the other nine…changed. They had gathered too much power, and in a furious burst of power they were transformed, destroying the land for miles around them. They became beasts of raw power and violent instinct, and my only choice was to banish them from this world. It was an act that I have regretted the necessity of to this day."

Naruto could have sworn that he saw the wise and venerable old kung fu master shed a tear as he stood looking at the sun finally disappearing over the horizon.

"So…what happened after that?" Naruto asked, already knowing the answer.

"I do not know. But it appears that you may." Oogway said, turning to observe Naruto with a faint smile.

Naruto nodded slowly before holding his right hand out open before him, palm up.

"Yes, I know of the nine Bijuu. In my world they are beasts of terrible power who arise to rain terror across the land at their whim. My people lacked the power to destroy them, but over the centuries we discovered methods of sealing a Bijuu within a newborn baby. I know of two who have been sealed thus, and from what my teacher has told me there may be several more who are currently sealed in this manner."

Naruto bowed his head slightly before looking back up, determination in his features. Silently he began to gather chakra in the palm of his hand, watching Master Oogway's reaction as the chakra became visible and began to swirl into the familiar and oddly comforting form of the Rasengan. Naruto's own eyes widened slightly for a moment as he saw the new color of his chakra, the once pure blue energy having become a dark purple.

_This transformation must have more to it than a simple physical alteration. I must have fully absorbed the Kyuubi's chakra somehow._

"One of the Bijuu I know of is Shukaku the Ichibi, who is sealed within my friend Gaara. And the second…is the Kyuubi no Kitsune, who is sealed within…"

As the sphere condensed fully a complex black seal became visible on Naruto's stomach, etched into both the paler fur and the skin of his stomach.

"…me." Naruto spoke this last word as barely a whisper, but it was clear that both Master Shifu and Master Oogway had heard it, or at least had understood the meaning of his display.

"Then you are welcome here young one. I sense much pain within you, but much good as well. This shall be your home, for as long as you wish it, or until you can find a means of returning home."

Naruto nodded his thanks silently before looking towards the horizon. As the pair of masters watched Naruto silently walked over to the edge of the cliff and stared off at the fading colors of the sunset, raising his hand towards the sky.

_I promised that I would bring him home, Sakura-chan, and one day I will keep that promise; just not today._

Silently he released the Rasengan, allowing the swirling disruptive energy to dissipate in a burst of wind and swirling, but ultimately harmless, purple energy.

For better or for worse, Uzumaki Naruto had found a home.

* * *

AN: Well, there you have it, the first full chapter of Kung Fu Kitsune. I believe that I shall leave you all here now, let you wonder just what I have planned and just what has happened to Naruto. Once again, please thank my amazing beta I.E.T.S. for her tireless work, and remember to check my profile for announcements.

-ZI


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: … Pshhh… Who needs a disclaimer? :D

AN: That was my beta's comment on my … disclaimer. ^_^

* * *

**Kung Fu Kitsune**

_By Zaion Indulias_

**Chapter 2: Strength of the Fox**

When Master Shifu came to collect Naruto from the quarters which had been assigned to him he found an empty room.

"Hmm. It appears that the fox has decided to leave after all."

Master Shifu smiled smugly to himself as he led the Furious Five through the complex towards the courtyard they normally used for training. He was calmly planning how he was going to convince Master Oogway to instead accept Tigress as the Dragon Warrior seeing as the fox had disappeared, but when he pushed open the heavy wooden gate into the courtyard his eyes widened in surprise. In the center of the courtyard was Naruto, doing one-handed push ups and grunting as he did so.

"Ahem." Shifu coughed, annoyed that the fox had apparently decided to remain.

Naruto bent his head back so that he could look towards the gate and then smiled when he saw who was there, waving towards them with his free hand before pushing off the ground into the air and flipping to land right side up.

"Good morning. I figured I'd start testing the extent of the changes I've undergone so that I was prepared for whatever training you want me to undergo. Master Oogway seems pretty insistent that I'm this Dragon Warrior thingy, and personally I'd rather just get whatever training I need to do over with so that I can find a way to get home."

Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and closed his eyes as the others took in his new appearance, thus missing the narrowing of Tigress' eyes. Naruto was still wearing the same torn up pair of pants he had arrived in, but he had found a black sleeve-less vest somewhere in his size, and wrapped bandages around his legs and forearms. His fur was completely clean of the blood that had been caked in it the day before, and in the early morning sunlight the golden tips of his ears seemed to glow.

When Naruto opened his eyes and saw them all staring he was very confused.

"What are you all staring at? It's not like this is the first time you've ever seen anyone do a one-armed push up before…is it?"

"No." Tigress replied with a growl as she stalked past the others. "But you don't belong here, so we're surprised to see you didn't leave last night like we had hoped."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Geez, what did I ever do to you?" He muttered as he stepped aside to let the annoyed female pass.

He looked towards the others for explanation but they all seemed to ignore him as they too entered, lead by Master Shifu. The gate closed heavily behind the old red panda and Naruto just watched in confusion as the six others stopped on the other side of the practice courtyard and turned to face him.

"Now, since I have been ordered to train you, train you I will." Master Shifu said loudly.

Naruto grinned at the prospect of training.

"Yosh!" He cried out as he leapt forward, unconsciously dropping to all fours for a brief moment before he stopped, kneeling in front of Master Shifu. The others all raised their eyebrows in surprise, not expecting such respect to be shown by this…outsider. "I am yours to command, Sensei."

Naruto bowed his head as he spoke the last part.

Master Shifu's own eyebrow lifted in surprise.

"Very well. We will begin by having you fight each of the Furious Five in turn."

Naruto grinned and shot to his feet, taking up position on one end of the practice courtyard as Viper, his first opponent, slithered out to oppose him. Just the mere thought of a snake however brought back clear memories of just who Sasuke had run off to for power, and Naruto unconsciously began to growl.

"Grrrr."

Before anyone could react Naruto rushed forward, lashing out with a pair of punches towards Viper. The elegant serpent merely twisted around each of his blows before spinning and lashing out with her tail in an attempt to trip him up. Master Shifu smirked as he saw Naruto go tumbling forward, thinking that getting the fox to give up would be easier than expected. Sadly, his pleasure was short-lived as Naruto firmly planted his paws on the ground before flipping away. The red-furred boy-turned-fox landed firmly and rushed Viper again, this time attempting to strike with more sweeping blows that would have a better chance to catch his swift opponent.

Viper again dodged all of his blows and sent him flying with a whip of her tail.

As Naruto slammed into the ground nearby and scrambled back to his feet, shaking his head out as he did so, he realized one thing.

Learning this Kung Fu stuff was going to be harder than he had expected.

* * *

Naruto spent the rest of the day being used as a punching bag by the furious five. Viper and Mantis proved to simply be too maneuverable for the blond boy's brawler style, Monkey's use of the bo-staff completely subdued Naruto who had never wielded such a weapon in his life, and Crane's aerial style of Kung Fu ran circles around Naruto. Finally, when he faced Tigress, he had a chance to hold his own. However, the difference in their skills became readily apparent when after only a few minutes Tigress launched him into the nearest wall with a powerful kick to his solar plexus.

Master Shifu hadn't even bothered to stay and critique Naruto's form after that. Instead he shook his head sadly and stalked off to the Hall of Heroes to meditate, while the Furious Five and Naruto headed off to their quarters.

Later that evening Naruto lay on his back staring at the ceiling. Around him his nine tails fluttered restlessly, revealing that Naruto was not quite as peaceful as his repose would imply.

_Just how am I going to get home? This Kung Fu is so much different than I expected. Then again, I am in a different body than my own. Perhaps I simply need to learn to use this new form properly._

Naruto cocked his head as the door to his room slid open, allowing Monkey, Viper, and Mantis to enter.

"Naruto, could we speak with you for a moment?"

Naruto sat up and smiled at the three.

"Sure. What's up?"

The trio entered the room and quickly slid the door behind them. All three took a seat before Viper finally spoke.

"Naruto, I was watching you during training today. Why didn't you use that technique you used to destroy the dummies yesterday? You could have easily won against any of us if you had used it." She asked softly, curious as to why a warrior would not use every technique in his arsenal.

Naruto sighed and held up one open palm, looking down at it sadly before speaking softly.

"Tell me, do you learn Kung Fu to destroy, or to protect?" He asked so softly that the three arrayed before him barely heard him.

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" Monkey asked as he scratched his own head.

Naruto looked up at them with sadness in his eyes.

"The only kind that matters."

Naruto sighed and stood, still looking at his palm.

"That technique you witnessed, well, I was just showing off when I used that. The truth is, that I will only use that technique to protect someone, as that technique only has one true job."

Naruto frowned and looked up as chakra suddenly spiraled around his hand, beginning to condense into a glowing purple Rasengan. When he spoke, his voice was cold, and the three gathered before him shivered as the aura of purple chakra they had witnessed the day before appeared faintly around the red-furred fox.

"To kill."

Naruto clenched his fist and crushed the incomplete Rasengan within. The chakra he had gathered was released in a burst of light and wind.

"That is why I did not use it."

As Naruto stood and turned to look out his window at the stars the trio behind him sat in shock.

_Just who are you, that you are trained to kill in a manner like that? Just who are you, Naruto?_ Mantis thought as he sat on Monkey's shoulder.

_There's no sign he's joking at our expense, so just what would cause him to have such a strong distaste for a technique he obviously has mastered?_ Monkey thought.

_Poor, poor boy. I can sense the pain in him…but I have no idea how to help him. Was he truly the right choice for the Dragon Warrior…or will he go the way of Tai Lung?_ Viper thought sadly.

As Naruto continued to stare out at the stars the three members of the Furious Five quietly exited the room, leaving the moody fox with his nine waving tails to his thoughts.

* * *

For the next two weeks Naruto was trained by the other members of the Furious Five. Master Shifu appeared rarely, usually to mock Naruto or attempt to get the fox boy to quit. However, no matter what shit or duties Master Shifu threw at him, Naruto never gave up. He did however realize after those first two weeks were nearing to a close that he hadn't had ramen in over two weeks, and was starting to feel a heavy craving for it. So one evening after training, rather than join his compatriots in the small kitchen of their quarters for a simple meal, the fox-boy snuck out of the Jade Palace and made his way down to the valley below in search of a ramen substitute.

* * *

_Noodles…noodles…where are you noodles…?_

Naruto lightly leapt from rooftop to rooftop, looking for any sign of a restaurant that might sell noodles. He had long since mastered the difference in chakra release through the soles of his feet between his human body and his new fox form, and thus did not damage any of the roof tiles as he went.

As Naruto paused on the edge of a roof along one of the main streets the light for a nearby lantern revealed his new look. His tattered orange pants had been replaced by a clean pair some of the disciples at the Jade Palace had acquired for him, and he had replaced the simple black vest with a custom one lined with gold thread. As Naruto grinned and dropped towards the street, the light from the lantern reflected off the back of his vest, revealing the Konoha leaf symbol embroidered in gold thread.

Naruto hurried across to the other side of the street, to a courtyard that was bustling with rabbits and pigs. In the middle of the commotion he saw a large panda carrying bowls of steaming noodle soup, and at the back of the courtyard he saw the bar and entrance of the noodle shop and a goose tending large pots of broth that to Naruto smelt divine. It might not be ramen, but maybe, just maybe, it would make up for it.

Double-checking his pockets to be sure he had the money on him that Monkey had given him in case he went into town, Naruto stepped forward into the restaurant. The blond-boy turned fox smiled as he smelt the delicious soup and navigated his way through the crowd. He slid past the large panda as he was preoccupied with serving a family of rabbits and stretched as he slid into line. He only had to wait a few minutes before he reached the bar, and he grinned as a seat became available as he arrived. With another grin and the jingle of his money hitting the wood of the bar Naruto slid into his spot at the bar.

"Hey, give me however many bowls this will get me." He said with a cheeky grin.

The goose looked up and smiled at him before taking the money and turning back to his stove. A minute later and the first of Naruto's ten bowls of noodle soup was set in front of him. Thirty seconds later and the bowl had been licked clean and set to the side as Naruto reached out and took his second bowl. He was on his eighth bowl before the fat panda returned to the kitchen and slumped into a chair, wiping sweat from his brow.

Clunk.

"Mmm. That was delicious. Hey, old man, how many more bowls do I have left?"

Mr. Ping smiled at his energetic customer as he took the empty bowl and placed another before him.

"Two more, including this one, young sir. I must say, I've never encountered anyone who could eat as much as my son Po here." The old goose who owned the noodle shop said calmly with a smile.

At the sound of his name Po looked up, curious as to whom his father was speaking to. When he saw Naruto sitting there with his face buried in a bowl of his father's "secret ingredient noodle soup" he shot to his feet in surprise.

"Oh my god! It's you! You're the Dragon Warrior aren't you?!" He yelled out energetically as he rushed to the bar, the commotion he caused turning heads and starting a bout of whispering amongst the other customers.

Naruto swallowed as he finished the last of the broth in his ninth bowl and set it down as he wiped his face on a napkin.

"So they keep telling me. I'm still not really sure what it all means though." Naruto said with a wry grin. "I'm Naruto by the way. What's your name?"

"I'mPoit'ssuchanhonortomeetyouI'myourbiggestfancanIhaveyourautograph?" Po spat out so fast Naruto could barely understand what the breathless panda was saying.

Naruto chuckled and held out a paw, which Po promptly gripped with both paws and shook vigorously.

"It's nice to meet you Po. I have to say that these are some of the best noodles I have ever had in my life. Not quite as good as the ramen back home, but then, nothing beats ramen. That's just a fact of life."

Naruto grinned cheekily at the surprised panda before he lifted his tenth and final bowl and dug in. Within seconds Naruto had that bowl drained as well and was cleaning his mouth off for the last time.

"Mmmm, that was delicious. I need to remember to take a break from training to come down here more often." Naruto said with a grin as he stood up. "I'll see you around Po."

Naruto sent his newest fan a grin before he leapt straight into the air and alighted on the roof. After taking a moment to breath deeply of the cool night air and gain his bearings Naruto sped off across the dark rooftops, heading back towards the Jade Palace to get some sleep.

As he ran up the steps, on the side of the mountain by the old peach tree where he had spoken to Master Oogway two weeks before, Master Shifu watched in worry as Master Oogway dissolved into sakura blossoms in the wind.

* * *

When Naruto finally reached his quarters it was to find five downcast Masters facing Master Shifu. As Master Shifu turned to face the grinning and barely winded fox Naruto grinned and spoke up, hoping to brighten the mood.

"Come on guys, what's wrong? Cheer up. It's not like somebody died or anything, is it?"

Given the way everyone looked at him Naruto instantly regretted those words, his grin quickly sliding off his face. Finally Master Shifu spoke, his voice breaking.

"Master Oogway…has left this world behind. And Tai Lung has escaped."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and sadness for a moment.

_Master Oogway is dead?_

Then the rest of what Master Shifu had said sank in.

"Wait, Tai Lung? Wasn't he one of your old students?"

Master Shifu nodded.

"And now he is on his way seeking revenge and the Dragon Scroll."

Naruto frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"Then I guess we just need to be better than him when he arrives."

Naruto spun on his feet and began to exit the room. He paused after a few steps and looked over his shoulder.

"Well, are you coming? We aren't going to stand a chance against someone who not even Master Shifu could stop unless we get some serious training in."

Everyone stared at Naruto like he was an idiot for a moment. Then Mantis stood and leapt onto Naruto's shoulder and they left. A few moments later Viper and Monkey followed him out of the room. As the quartet disappeared down the hall Crane looked at a surprised Master Shifu before standing and following, leaving Master Shifu and his second apprentice staring in confusion. Finally the pair closed their mouths and shook their heads before exiting the room themselves, heading to see just what sort of training Naruto intended to perform.

**T-Minus Four Days and Counting…**

* * *

AN: Here it is, chapter 2 folks. Sorry it's been a while, but real life has been hectic. Family problems, trying to find a job, beginning to stand on my own two feet, its all been stressful and not only taken a lot of my time, but given me a case of writers block. The downside, I haven't been able to write as many chapters as I planned. The upside, I continue to develop really awesome ideas for stories, though several are being kept in storage until I have more time to work on them. Several of these ideas are joint projects with my amazing beta I.E.T.S., and others are ideas that I may either pass to her to write, or may be willing to pass off to one of the authors I admire as long as the story is attributed to me and I'm allowed to beta it. I've got five or six such projects in storage, and am working on a seventh one that I was inspired to prep last night while I was plotting out chapter 3 of KFK.

Now, good news for all you loyal readers. Chapter 3 hopefully won't be more than a few days away, and chapter 4 is actually already complete and at my beta. Yes, these chapters are shorter than what I do sometimes with my other stories, but so sue me. It's the length that feels right, and I'm sticking with what feels write not a wordcount goal. I will also be trying to power write chapter 5 as soon as chapter 3 is complete, so there is the outside possibility of another 3 chapters going up before weeks end.

Now, as of this posting I will have closed the poll for the pairing for KFK. I have made an executive decision with regards to the pairing, and decided to use the top two from the poll along with two I have chosen from the list who I've decided need to be involved and the final hidden character. Therefore, I hereby present to you the FINALIZED list of who Naruto will be involved with over the course of the story.

Hikari, Sakura, Hana, Temari, and…the last one is still a secret ;)

Now, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy the next one when it goes up, because it will go up simultaneously with chapter 4 and the reveal of Hikari.

*grins*

Jaa for now.

-ZI

Message from the Beta: Roses are red, violets are blue. This story is awesome, so please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: … Tartar sauce! Disclaimers are for barnacle heads!! :D Ahahaha…

PS: If you haven't figured it out yet, my beta has once again added her own flair to the disclaimer. ^_^

* * *

**Kung Fu Kitsune**

_A Story by Zaion Indulias_

**Chapter 3: The Will of Fire and the Spirit of Kung Fu**

When the sun arose the following morning it revealed Naruto and the exhausted Furious Five collapsed around the training courtyard. Well, the Furious Five were collapsed at any rate, along with a stunned Shifu. Naruto on the other hand was sliding through the motions of a kata for some of the kung fu he had been taught over and over and over again. The Kung Fu masters present merely watched from their repose wondering just what sort of monster Naruto was. He had been going non-stop all night, and showed no sign of growing tired.

As the sun rose higher in the sky and the exhausted masters slowly regained their energy thanks to a simple mill that had been provided by some of the acolytes, Tigress finally approached Naruto and asked him the question that had been bothering her all night. Actually, if she were honest with herself it had been bothering her since the first day she met him, but she only truly acknowledged the question in her own mind the night before.

"Just…who or what are you?" She asked as she approached Naruto, who was breathing heavily after repeating an advanced kata a hundred times in a row in rapid succession.

Naruto looked up at Tigress as the latter crossed her arms across her chest.

"I'm nothing more or less than I have said. I am Uzumaki Naruto, and until two weeks ago I was a ninja of Konoha." Naruto replied as he stretched, his tails flittering around. "Now…I'm not so sure."

Naruto looked off into the distance for a moment before continuing.

"But I know this. Someone is coming, who threatens the peace of innocents. This valley may not be Konoha, but I will protect it with everything I have."

Naruto turned back to Tigress.

"Which is why I need to learn everything I can about Kung Fu, and master fighting in this new body. If what I'm being told about the Dragon Warrior is true, then I need to be as strong as possible so that I can stop Tai Lung. If it's just a legend with no real truth, then it is going to take all of us to stand a chance."

Tigress was silent for a moment as she held Naruto's gaze. Finally she uncrossed her arms and held out her paw.

"If that is so, then there is only one thing we can do."

Naruto reached out and clasped Tigress' paw in his. The glimmer in her eyes was the only warning he had of what was about to happen.

"We must turn you into the best Kung Fu master in the world in record time!"

As Tigress tossed Naruto into the air and the other members of the Furious Five launched themselves from their places of rest to continue training Naruto one thought was flitting through the blond boy's head.

_Well, it beats being tossed into a gorge of death in order to learn how to summon._

* * *

Later that afternoon Naruto had his first epiphany into why he was making little progress with learning and developing his own style of kung fu.

While he was fighting a match with monkey he got an opening on the older Master and pressed it. However, much to his surprise he found himself suddenly upended and falling towards the ground. He managed to plant his hands firmly on the ground and push off, spinning in the air and lashing out with his legs and arms in a spiral as he righted himself. As he landed and moved back into a ready stance across from Monkey after giving a slight bow to acknowledge his maneuver a thought finally crossed his mind.

_Now, how did he pull that off? I had him dead to rights. His stance was solid and locked, his arms busy defending against my strikes. So how did he manage to sweep me?_

It was as Monkey came towards him, taking the fight to Naruto this time in an aggressive rush, that Naruto saw the cause for his quandary.

Monkey's tail.

**T-Minus Three Days and Counting…**

* * *

Naruto arose early the next morning, before any of his quite exhausted colleagues, and returned to his training. However, unlike the day before, he was trying something new. Arrayed around him were over a hundred of the palace's training dummies. Naruto was weaving in and out amongst them, however to the few early morning risers who had stopped to watch it was clear that he was taking far more hits from the dummies than he had during previous training sessions. Which is to say, he was actually getting hit at all.

It was _why_ he was getting hit however that was so engrossing to the watchers.

Because Uzumaki Naruto was using nothing but his tails.

_One, two, dodge spin nine strike._ Naruto repeated over and over in his head as he practiced with one of the larger dummies.

"Grah, why is this so hard?"

Frustrated Naruto backed off for a moment. His tails fluttered behind him, battered and bruised, and his breathing equilibrated within seconds.

"Perhaps, because you are going about it all wrong?"

Naruto spun at the sound of Master Shifu's voice behind him. The blond-boy-turned-fox had become so used to people looking down on him, teaching him wrong or telling him that he was doing something wrong without correcting him, that he had an ingrained reflex to become defensive when criticized.

"Master Shifu! I didn't see you there." Naruto said as he spun, anxiety eating away at him.

"Nor were you expected to." Master Shifu said with a faint smile. "Now, would you like me to give you a few observations that you may find helpful, or would you like to continue beating up your own limbs?"

Naruto blinked and then scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he realized that he had misjudged Master Shifu's intent, the anxiety in his heart instantly evaporating into the early morning mists.

"Um, some observations could be useful I guess."

Master Shifu nodded and approached the blond slowly. He held a sash in his hands and approached one of the training dummies.

"I've noticed that you learn better from being shown than by being told, so I am going to give you a demonstration." Master Shifu said by way of explanation.

Suddenly the old Master leapt into the air and lashed out with a kick to one of the limbs of the dummy, starting it spinning. As he fell he struck with the sash at the spinning limb, but it barely seemed to slow it down. Master Shifu landed and then lashed out with the sash again, but this time by wrapping the end around the limb of the dummy. He yanked it back hard and suddenly the dummy was toppling over.

Master Shifu stopped and turned to face a stunned looking Naruto with a grin on his face. After several long moments Naruto blinked and his eyes refocused on Master Shifu.

"Holy crap! Why didn't I realize that before?!"

Master Shifu chuckled as he turned and walked away to have a morning cup of tea before some meditation.

"Because, young one, you were thinking like a human, not a fox."

Naruto chuckled and went back to training. This time, Master Shifu was pleased to note, his young student was using his tails in the correct way.

**T-Minus Two Days and Counting…**

* * *

Naruto spent the rest of the second day training on his own focusing solely on using his tails in combat. By the end of the day he had shown remarkable improvement, and even Monkey admitted that perhaps he would be a decent Master when he was done. That was before Monkey's one abortive spar with Naruto later that evening left the Master with a bump the size of a grapefruit on his head. Apparently having nine extra appendages had given Naruto enough of an edge to turn the tables on the humor-loving Master.

The next morning Naruto found all five Masters waiting for him, and he groaned when he realized what was about to happen.

The next six hours of Naruto's life were an exercise in insanity as he fought back against the continuous assault of the Furious Five. He quickly figured out why they were attacking him though. They had presented him with a situation of overwhelming odds, forcing him to utilize all of his limbs in his defense. The similarity to what his old opponents must have felt every time he used Tajuu Kage Bunshin against them was frightening, and the irony of his situation was not lost on the boy.

When they finally broke for lunch Naruto collapsed exhausted into a chair in the small kitchen shared by the five, groaning as he stretched and popped his back and each of his tails. He was surprised when a pair of hands found their way to his lower back and began to massage the stiffness out of his muscles. When Naruto turned to look behind him he was surprised to find that it was Tigress who was the source of the ministrations.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Tigress muttered when she noticed him looking at her. "I just think we need to keep you in the best shape possible since you are the only one who can apparently beat Tai Lung."

Naruto's shoulders instantly slumped as he dropped his head.

"You all keep saying that, but I couldn't even beat Sasuke, and he was my teammate. How can I possibly beat Tai Lung, who everyone says was the greatest student Master Shifu ever trained?"

"It's simple boy." Mantis said as he took a seat next to Naruto. "You learn all you can and you trust that we will be there to back you up. No one should ever have to go something like this alone. I'm impressed that you are holding up under the pressure. A lesser man would have cracked under the sort of training we've been putting you through. The rate at which you have been learning is phenomenal."

Naruto looked up and chuckled.

"Yeah, well I think I have an advantage in that department. I always learned quickly by doing, and I always had enormous amounts of stamina. Since I've been transformed I've noticed that those factors just sky rocketed." He said as he chuckled again darkly. "Guess this must have been some sort of gift from my tenant."

"Tenant?" Viper inquired quietly.

"Um, forget I said anything. It's a…topic I don't much care to discuss, particularly not now that I've undergone this transformation."

As Naruto rested on the table, allowing Tigress' paws to do their work on his sore muscles, the others all shared a look. They wondered just what Naruto had been talking about, but they all trusted that he would tell them when he was ready.

**T-Minus One Day and Counting…**

* * *

The morning of the fourth day came and everything was busy. Master Shifu had finally planned the evacuation of the valley and he, along with most of the acolytes in the palace, were busy leading the villagers to safety. The Furious Five along with Naruto assisted the evacuation in the early morning, returning to the palace in the afternoon once they were sure everyone had safely been exited from the village. It was during the evacuation of Naruto's new friend Po and his father that Naruto heard something that, while seemingly innocuous at the time, would ultimately be the key to defeating Tai Lung.

By the time Naruto had returned to the palace, Mantis riding on his shoulder, the place was oddly quiet. It took the pair nearly thirty minutes before they finally tracked down the others. They found them all sitting patiently in the Hall of Heroes, meditating before the calm pool that Naruto had first witnessed his changed appearance in.

"Master Shifu." Naruto said quietly as he bowed. He may have been a hyper-active and often slightly disrespectful boy, but he respected those who gave him respect, and Master Shifu definitely fit that category.

The old red-panda stood slowly and turned to face the pair.

"Ah, Naruto, Mantis, you have returned. We have been waiting for you for some time." He said, obliquely inquiring as to what had kept the pair.

Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Well, I was helping a family get their stuff out of the city. I guess I got a bit carried away."

Master Shifu smiled slightly and nodded in acceptance of the explanation before motioning for the pair to take the two remaining meditation pads. Now, Naruto had never been one for meditation, but Master Shifu had enforced it upon him during his training, so he could at least be still and silent…for a time at least. This time around, it took over an hour before Naruto finally stood up and stretched, bored to tears of just sitting and thinking.

"Listen, Master, I mean no disrespect, but what good is meditation going to do me when Tai Lung could arrive at any moment?" He asked as he turned to face the old red-panda.

Master Shifu opened one eye to regard him for a moment before he stood and walked over to the pedestal where Master Oogway's staff rested.

"It was supposed to prepare you for what I am about to give you. One thinks better on a cleared mind than a cluttered one, and thus understanding comes easier."

Naruto blinked in confusion.

"Um, what's that supposed to mean."

Master Shifu chuckled.

"That you will have the one thing no one else has." He said as he stepped forward with the staff held firmly in his hands.

Naruto watched in awe as an eerie calm began to fill the room around him. Master Oogway began to spin and strike with the staff and Naruto watched in awe as the wind produced by Master Oogway's motions began to lift and carry the peach blossoms that rested in the pool up into the air. Naruto watched them flow with wide eyes as they rose into the air, until one single pale pink petal settled on the edge of the red and gold scroll that was held in the mouth of the dragon statue on the ceiling. At first nothing happened. Then the scroll began to slide slowly before falling towards the center of the pool. Just as it was about to strike Master Shifu struck out with the staff and caught the scroll with the end of it, the edge of the staff just barely touching the water of the pool and setting of a faint ringing as a single perfect ripple spread outward.

As Master Shifu retracted the staff carrying the scroll the Furious Five gathered around Naruto in support, Tigress even going so far as to place one hand on Naruto's shoulder in support. As Naruto reached out one hand and tentatively received the scroll from Master Shifu the aging master noticed Naruto's downcast eyes.

_They keep saying that this scroll contains the secret of the universe, the key to ultimate power. But…is this something I really want? Everyone I've ever known who has hungered after ultimate power has gone insane (Sasuke) or evil (Orochimaru) or both…so why would I want to know the secret? Is it the power that drives them mad, or is it their desire for it. Would wielding it for the good of others protect me from its corruption, or would it merely hasten my downfall._

As Naruto was lost deep in his thoughts he did not notice the way his tails had begun to flit around him violently, causing the others to back off. He did not realize as his hands slowly lifted the scroll and unscrewed the cap on one end, nor did he realize as he slid the scroll out of its case and prepared to open it. In fact, he did not come back to his senses until a few seconds after he had opened the scroll.

"What…what the hell is this supposed to mean?!" He exclaimed, his tails suddenly going ramrod straight in shock as Naruto realized what he was seeing. "Is this supposed to be some kind of prank on Master Oogway's part? Some method of pranking us from beyond the grave?!"

Master Shifu looked at Naruto in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's blank." Naruto replied as he crouched and held out the scroll. "Here, look."

Master Shifu looked like he was about to turn away, but the earnest need for him to see and understand whatever was bothering Naruto that he saw in Naruto's eyes stopped him. Master Shifu took the scroll from Naruto and stared in surprise at what was before him. Instead of being writings on the secret of the universe like everyone had always believed, the scroll was nothing but a thin reflective metal sheet.

"This…this doesn't make sense." He exclaimed as he handed the scroll back to Naruto.

"No Master, it doesn't." Naruto replied as he stood and rolled the scroll back up after looking at it one last time, noticing his reflection staring back at him with deep soulful eyes. "But it does not matter."

Everyone turned to face Naruto with questions in their eyes.

"Because we already have everything we need to defeat Tai Lung."

Naruto held up his right palm and looked at it with sad eyes.

"Ultimate power corrupts. We will not need it. We are stronger together than we could ever be apart. Together, we shall defeat him."

Naruto clenched his fist and turned to look out towards the exit of the Hall, watching as the sky began to darken into evening. After a few moments the others gathered around him as well, staring out, each with their own conviction forming.

If they had anything to say about it, Tai Lung would be defeated at their hands.

**Zero Hour…**

* * *

When Tai Lung finally reached the valley he found the city oddly quiet in the late night light of the full-moon. He knew well before he crested the final hill into the pathetic little hovel that it had been evacuated. The smells that should have told him people were there were at least a day old. The sounds that should have met his ears were oddly missing. And there was no sign of smoke rising from chimneys.

"So, Master Shifu has decided to evacuate the Valley. No matter. I'll hunt them all down later. Once I have the Dragon Scroll, no one will be able to stop me."

With a snarl the ex-prisoner leapt forward and sprinted through the silent city, senses ever wary of an ambush. As he reached the bottom of the massive stairway that led to the temple he was unfortunately unaware of a pair of eyes watching him from a concealed location on the wall of the palace, a fact that would cost him the initiative when he finally breached the gates.

When he reached the gates Tai Lung stopped, staring down at the diminutive red-panda who stood calmly before him at the entrance to the Hall of Heroes. The pair held one another's gaze for a long moment before a bolt of lightning from the clouds forming in the sky shattered the silence.

"I have come home, Master." Tai Lung said with a mock bow.

Master Shifu looked up at the snow-leopard with disappointment evident in his eyes.

"This is no longer your home, and I am no longer your master." Shifu replied.

"Oh yes. You have a new favorite." Tai Lung commented. "So where is this Naruto? Did I scare him off?"

"This battle is between you and me." Master Shifu replied.

"So, that is how it is going to be?" Tai Lung asked as he turned away slightly.

"That is how it must be." Shifu said as he took a battle stance.

Tai Lung growled for a moment before suddenly leaping into the air and dropping down upon Master Shifu with a kick that left a crater in the ground. Master Shifu managed to evade, but Tai Lung merely ripped a boulder from the ground and kicked it towards Shifu. The dexterous master leapt forward to meet the boulder, destroying it with a carefully aimed and powered chi strike, but his eyes immediately widened in surprise as Tai Lung came flying through the debris, punching Shifu with such force that the diminutive master was flung through the doors of the Hall of Heroes, bouncing until he came to a stop and could regain his footing.

"I rotted in jail twenty years because of your weakness!" Tai Lung roared angrily as he stalked through the ruined entryway after his old master.

"Obeying your master is not weakness." Shifu retorted as he held is ground, watching as Tai Lung stalked towards him.

_Please, my students, let this plan succeed._

"You knew, I was the Dragon Warrior. You always knew." Tai Lung continued bitterly. "But when Oogway said otherwise, what did you do? What did you do?!"

As Tai Lung was forcing Master Shifu to confront some of his most unpleasant memories, the snow-leopard was too focused to notice six presences converging on his location carefully from around the room.

"Nothing!" Tai Lung snarled.

"You were never meant to be the Dragon Warrior. That was not my fault!" Shifu replied as he began to retreat.

"Not your fault?"

Tai Lung stalked towards Shifu, forcing the Master to retreat as Tai Lung lashed out with a kick and sent one of the pillars collapsing towards him.

"Who filled my head with dreams? Who drove me to train until my bones cracked!?"

Tai Lung grabbed the elegant shield set on one of the pedestals and sent it flying at Master Shifu like a spinning blade of death.

"Who denied me my destiny!?" Tai Lung raged as he grabbed a weapons rack and used it to launch the weapons flying towards Shifu.

As Shifu deflected the many projectiles that had come flying towards him Tai Lung stepped forward and used his feet to kick a large, shiny serrated sword into the air, sending it spinning straight towards Shifu. Master Shifu side-stepped the blade and used his hands to careful redirect its spin, turning it back towards Tai Lung and driving it blade-first into the ground.

"It was never my decision to make!"

Tai Lung growled and then leapt over to the stand where Oogway's old staff sat.

"It is now." Tai Lung said as he turned to face Shifu.

Without missing a beat Shifu leapt at his erstwhile student, lashing out with a quick series of punches and kicks. Tai Lung responded in kind and after dodging Shifu's first assault struck out with the staff. Within seconds he had Shifu pinned to the ground by the crook of the staff.

"Give me the scroll!"

"I would rather die." Shifu bit out as he tried desperately to force off the staff that was pinning him to the ground.

Tai Lung growled as he continued choking Shifu, the force of his pressure on the staff eventually causing the ancient relic to crack in two, providing Shifu a short-lived opening. However Tai Lung didn't give him much opportunity and he immediately began his attack anew. He kicked Shifu, pinning him to a wall for a moment before Shifu managed to push back off. The pair began to fly through the palace as their fight became even more desperate.

* * *

Throughout the Hall of Heroes, within six locations chosen to conceal their presence, the Furious Five along with their newest pupil waited. It pained each of them to no end to witness the pain their Master was going through, but it was the only chance they had to create an opening in Tai Lung's guard. As they watched Tai Lung assault Master Shifu with paws trailing flame their hearts nearly broke. It hurt that they had to allow their Master to feel this pain, but it was part of the plan, and…the old man had requested it.

As Tai Lung finally lifted Shifu up near the edge of the water the six tensed, ready to strike.

"What?! Where is it?!!" Tai Lung roared as he slammed Shifu into the ground.

As the snow leopard unsheathed the claws of his left paw in preparation for killing Shifu the six finally acted. Tai Lung never knew what hit him.

As the sun began to rise over the Valley of Peace, Tai Lung was sent flying by three kicks from Tigress, Crane, and Monkey. The snow leopard barely had time to react before Viper wrapped around him and launched him into the air, where Mantis took advantage of his size to launch a series of rapid rebounding strikes on the snow-leopard, launching him towards the ground. Tai Lung's eyes widened as he saw the sixth and final of his assailants below him. He watched in an almost detached manner as he approached the nine-tailed fox below him, the red-furred fox's fist rising to collide with his jaw and sending him flying through the roof.

As Tai Lung disappeared through the roof the Furious Five gathered around Shifu while Naruto stood still, staring at the hole where Tai Lung had been ejected from.

"Master, are you alright?" Tigress asked as she knelt by Shifu's side.

The injured Master coughed, but before he could say anything Naruto's voice broke the silence.

"Look out!"

Before anyone could react Tai Lung dropped through the roof, shattering it as he went. He lashed out with his fingers, striking nerve points on the Furious five with glowing blue chi strikes, and within seconds the only two standing in the room were Tai Lung and Naruto.

The former turned to look at him with a glare as Naruto slid into a ready stance, his eyes narrowed.

"Well damn, there go all the plans about team work. I guess in the end, I really am left with no choice."

"And who are you?" Tai Lung growled as he turned and began to stalk towards Naruto.

"Me? I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konoha…" Naruto said as he slipped into a ready stance, eight of his nine tails flaring around him and poising like a scorpion ready to strike. "…and the Dragon Warrior."

Naruto smirked at the rage that appeared on Tai Lung's face as his ninth tail rose, the Dragon Scroll clearly gripped in it.

_I better draw him away from here. If I want any chance of defeating him, I need to be able to fight without worrying about protecting the others._

"Catch me if you can, fur ball."

Naruto chuckled and spun, sprinting out of the Hall with the scroll firmly held in his tail. It took a mere three seconds before everything processed through Tai Lung's mind and the bastard roared in rage. Naruto's chuckle darkened as his eyes narrowed and he put on a bit more speed, knowing that the bastard was hot on his tail.

Naruto led him on a merry chase through the palace and down to the village before Naruto finally found the spot he was looking for. It was near the center of the village, and was large enough to give him the room he needed.

As Naruto came to a stop he crouched and leapt into the air in a flip, completely dodging the wild leopard that shot beneath him. As Tai Lung too came to a stop and turned to face him Naruto narrowed his eyes.

_How in the hell am I supposed to beat him? He defeated Master Shifu. He defeated the Furious Five. I couldn't even beat Sasuke._

Naruto unconsciously began to growl his emotion letting the slightest bit of his chakra slip, forming a faint purple haze over his otherwise golden eyes.

"Give me the scroll, boy, and I may let you live." Tai Lung growled out as the pair glared at one another.

"Never, teme." Naruto snarled back. "You'll get this scroll over my cold dead body."

"That can be arranged." Tai Lung snarled and then suddenly he seemed to blur and disappear.

Naruto was so shocked by his opponent's speed that his tails barely managed to move into position to block the older warrior's kick. As it was, even then they didn't have the strength to deflect or redirect the sheer power behind the bastard's blows, and Naruto was sent flying sideways into a nearby building.

Naruto got to his feet and leapt towards Tai Lung in retaliation, but even as the pair began to engage in a vicious barrage of punches, kicks, sweeps, and slashes Naruto realized something.

_It's no good. I'm not good enough. Even with the advantage of my tails, the advantage of my stamina and my healing ability, I can't keep the advantage for long. If I can't find a way to end this, everything will be for nothing._

As Naruto dodged another crater-inducing kick from Tai Lung he leapt over the leopard's head and struck out with six of his tails, hoping to grab hold of his neck and force him into unconsciousness.

"Come on and give it up, Tai Lung. There's no need for you to act like this. Stop this senseless violence, apologize to everyone, and I'm sure things can be resolved." Naruto said, attempting to plead with his opponent.

Tai Lung's response was to snarl and rip himself free of Naruto's clutches. Two seconds later Naruto's eyes widened in shock as Tai Lung dropped under his guard and lashed out, his paws glowing with chi. Naruto never stood a chance.

As the red-furred boy-turned-fox dropped to the ground the scroll rolled out of his tail. Tai Lung looked down at him as he breathed heavily before snorting and turning towards the scroll.

_So this is it. This is how it ends. Tenketsu blocked by chakra strikes, paralyzed and barely conscious in a world that is not my own, waiting for the next in the long line of power-hungry madmen I've met in my life to finish me off._

Naruto lay unmoving as Tai Lung picked the scroll off of the ground and opened it, unrolling the golden red scroll.

"At last, the power of the dragon scroll is mine." He happily chanted as he snapped it open.

When he had unrolled it his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. A moment later he snarled and threw the scroll to the ground.

"It's nothing!"

Tai Lung looked up and eyed the prone form of his opponent with rage as he began to stalk towards him, intent on forcing the bastard to tell him where the real scroll was. Unfortunately, his exclamation had caused something to finally click in the mind of the usually idiotic blond-ninja-turned-fox.

_It's nothing…it's…nothing…THAT'S IT!! That's the secret!! The answer!!!_ Naruto thought, his eyes widening slightly despite the fact he was supposed to be completely immobile. _As Po's father put it, there is no secret ingredient. But…if that's true, then the power has been there all along. So it can't be the power that corrupts. It's the search for it. The desire, or the reasons for wanting it at least, that have corrupted those who seek ultimate power. It's not the power itself, but what one chooses to do with it!!_

As this stunning realization clicked inside Naruto's mind something changed inside him. It was as if a switch had been hit, and while Naruto did not necessarily possess the knowledge of the universe, he felt a great power welling up inside him. However, for the first time in his life Naruto did not fear this power, not in the least bit. Because he finally knew the truth.

Tai Lung was about to reach down and grab Naruto by the throat when the prone fox gave a deep guttural roar. An instant later a massive burst of purple chakra flared outward form his body, shattering the ground around him and forcing Tai Lung to quickly leap back. The snow-leopard watched in rage and surprise as Naruto slowly got to his feet, shaky at first and then with confidence. When Naruto had finally stood up he had his eyes downcast and his ears pulled back as he bared his teeth and snarled. Finally he looked up, at the exact same time that the chakra around him flared up once more, and Tai Lung's eyes met his.

Naruto's eyes had changed. They were no longer the soft comforting blue they had been when he had been human, nor were they the slitted gold that they had become upon arriving in this strange world. No, now they were completely purple. They were smooth, and an intense purple glow emanated from them, as it began to emanate from his palms and from the tips of each of his tails.

"_**I will give you one last chance. Surrender now. Apologize for your actions, accept the punishment for your actions, and all will be forgiven.**_" Naruto spoke, and as he did so his voice echoed. To Tai Lung, it sounded as if three distinct voices, all belonging to the same person, were speaking at once. One was normal, one deep and rumbling, and the third high and melodious. "_**If you do not, the consequences will be dire. You have been warned, and any continuation of this behavior will not be tolerated.**_"

Tai Lung snarled. Who did this whelp think he was, telling him to surrender? He was going to rip his heart from his chest with his bare hands!

Tai Lung unsheathed his claws and rushed forward, intent on killing Naruto. The red-furred fox's eyes narrowed.

"_**You have made your decision. Your punishment…is death.**_"

Tai Lung lashed out with a strike towards Naruto's jugular, but the boy did not move. The moment Tai Lung's fist came into contact with the purple aura around Naruto the aura flared and the teme was blown back, screaming as his hand caught fire. He hurriedly put it out as he got back to his feet and turned to glare at Naruto once more. He barely had time to take notice that the aura around him had begun to take the form of a crouched nine-tail fox before he felt the first strike of pain.

Tai Lung saw the tip of one of Naruto's many waving tails glow with a brilliant, deadly red for a moment before there was a streak of light and a jolt of pain through his body. The next thing he knew he had dropped to one knee. He looked down and was shocked to see that a hole had been bored through the knee that had just collapsed, out of which his blood began to pour. Tai Lung looked up again, a mixture of horror, rage, and abject fear present on his face as the monster before him approached, one hand held out palm open towards him.

"_**I am the beginning and end; the first and the last; the alpha and the omega. Here now you stand before me, suffering the judgment of the damned. Your own actions and choices have led you to this place, Tai Lung, son of Shifu. You were given a chance to reform, a chance to step back from the abyss, but instead you blindly plowed forward. Now you, and everything you are, shall be forever entombed within the abyss. Your death shall be quite painful, a reflection upon you of all the pain you have ever caused.**_"

Tai Lung watched in fear as at the tips of each of the nine hovering tails the purple chakra began to condense. However, the denser and denser it got the more the small orbs of chakra began to turn red. As the nine rapidly spinning orbs that were forming continued to condense and shrink until the size of marbles Tai Lung watched in fascination and fear, the realization that he was about to die finally settling in.

"_**May Kami have mercy on your soul...**_" Naruto continued. "_**…because Heaven knows that I will not. Nine-Point Demonic Rasengan!**_"

Naruto yelled out this last part as his nine tails lashed forward with the nine glowing red points of spiraling compressed death that they held at their tips. Tai Lung roared in pain as he felt the nine points of pain drilling through him. Idly, as his mind began to crack from the pain of having the nine energy orbs shoved into his body, he noted that Naruto had aimed each orb for a critical body part. Apparently the Dragon Warrior had meant it when he said he intended to kill Tai Lung.

Naruto's tails suddenly pulled back, leaving the nine points of burning pain within Tai Lung's body.

"_**Judgment has been passed. Now the sentence shall commence. Die.**_"

Naruto spoke this last part quietly, and as his final statement reached Tai Lung's ears the defeated warrior watched in shock as Naruto vanished in a swirl of wind, peach blossoms, and purple chakra, just moments before the orbs within Tai Lung's body detonated and expanded, shredding him apart from the inside and obliterating any traces of the man who had once been like a son to Master Shifu.

Back at the Hall of Heroes a still glowing Naruto appeared from a swirl of wind and peach blossoms, the chakra around him slowing dying out. As the brilliant red flash from his technique illuminated the Hall through the door Naruto's tails struck out rapidly, undoing the paralysis of his comrades and teachers.

As the red light faded Naruto dropped to his knees, his eyes returning to normal as the glow completely vanished. As Naruto began to cry, his tears staining his fur as they flowed, the slowly recovering Masters around him heard him whisper almost frantically, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

* * *

The villagers who had evacuated were not too far away from the village when they heard an explosion. Turning back to the village, they watched as a massive red swirling light expanded in the center of the village for a few seconds before imploding with a flash of red light and causing a shockwave to spread out rapidly. Within moments the red light was washing over the evacuees. However, instead of destroying things as they had feared and hunkered down in hopes of avoiding, the light brought a sense of calm to them. Sensing somehow that things were over, the villagers turned around and began to head slowly back to the village.

* * *

As the villagers finally reached the center of the village in the early morning light they were greeted to a unique sight. There was a crater forty feet across in the ground, the insides of which had been turned to molten glass. In the center of the glass, embedded in a small sphere at the very base, was the closed Dragon Scroll. Before it stood Naruto, a faint grin on his face even as his fur still showed sign of tear streaking, and the Furious Five along with Master Shifu. After a few moments Naruto stepped forward to stand with his hand resting on the large orb that would forever keep the Dragon Scroll contained.

"People of the Valley of Peace. I have defeated Tai Lung. We are at last free of the fear of his retribution, at last at peace."

There was silence for a moment before the forerunners of the crowd, including Po, ran forward and raised Naruto onto their shoulders as everyone began to clap and cheer. As they began to march through the city with Naruto held up on their shoulders Naruto chuckled darkly to himself.

_Well, at least they appreciate me. Had I used a technique like that back home to stop someone like Tai Lung they'd likely have strung me up and killed me. I guess it just shows who the REAL animals are after all._

Within the back of Naruto's mind he heard a faint giggle. At first he thought it was just someone in the crowd around him, but after a moment he realized it sound familiar. It was softer, more feminine than any time he had heard it before, and decidedly less aggressive, but he was sure it was the same one. As the implications of what he had just heard finally sank in, Naruto thought a single word in his mind, completely deaf to the cheers around him.

…_Kyuubi?_

* * *

**Three Years Later…**

In the midst of the throng of excited people who were entering Konoha walked a pair of cloaked and hooded figures. They both wore long black cloaks that covered the top half of their faces in shadows and concealed what they wore and looked like beneath. All that could be gleaned from what was visible was that the taller and clearly older figure was male, while the shorter and younger figure was female and that her hair was apparently deep red. A single lock of her hair was visible against her cheek, and would have obscured her left eye had the cloak not already done so.

Once they were through the gates the pair paused, the flow of the crowd continuing around them like a river around a boulder. Silently they stood, seeming to regard everything around them with unseeing eyes. Finally, the girl spoke.

"So this is your home…" She said softly. Her voice was sweet but strong, carrying a hint of fire and hidden power.

"…at last, I return. Uzumaki Naruto…is back." The taller figure replied as he reached up and removed his hood.

* * *

AN: And…I'm a bastard for giving such an evil little cliffy. But fear not my loyal readers! For today you are blessed. Chapter four is already over halfway completed, and may be up within a matter of days, assuming my beta has time to complete a beta run on it this weekend and get it back to me. Either way, it is already making both me and my beta smile and laugh, and I hope you will all enjoy it. And I hope you aren't too angry with me for this little cliffie. As always, please review. I always like to know what you think. Also, I have a new poll on my profile. It is for which of six ideas I will add to my story list when I finally complete one of my stories. Please participate in it if you haven't already.

-ZI

Message from the Beta: "If you give a lollipop to a crying child, they cheer up most of the time, right? Well, what would happen if you gave a hyper-active kid a Kunai...?"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: … Disclaimers are for sissies who follow the law… Yeah…

* * *

**Kung Fu Kitsune**

_By Zaion Indulias_

**Chapter 4: The Returner**

The sunlight sparkled over Konoha as another bright day dawned. All around the village people bustled to and fro about their busy lives. Here and there a shinobi could be seen walking around, identifiable by the way they walked, by the clothing they wore, and most importantly by the Konoha hitai-ate that they all wore somewhere on their persons.

At the main gates a throng of people were excitedly entering the city, for today was the day of the greatest festival of the year: October 10th. It was a festival to honor the Yondaime Hokage and his sacrifice to defeat the Kyuubi no Kitsune, ensuring the peace of the ninja village. The festival had always been large, but it had only grown even larger once news of Uzumaki Naruto's death had spread. Shortly after Shikamaru's team was recovered from their failed mission to recapture the traitor Sasuke two of the Hokage's advisors, Homura and Koharu, had gotten the Sandaime's law regarding Naruto repealed, allowing them to openly announce to the village that the Kyuubi no Kitsune and his container were finally dead.

Tsunade had destroyed half a floor of the Hokage's Tower in a depressive rage after that.

In the midst of the throng of excited people who were entering Konoha walked a pair of cloaked and hooded figures. They both wore long black cloaks that covered the top half of their faces in shadows and concealed what they wore and looked like beneath. All that could be gleaned from what was visible was that the taller and clearly older figure was male, while the shorter and younger figure was female and that her hair was apparently deep red. A single lock was visible against her cheek, and would have obscured her left eye had the cloak not already done so.

Once they were through the gates the pair paused, the flow of the crowd continuing around them like a river around a boulder. Silently they stood, seeming to regard everything around them with unseeing eyes. Finally, the girl spoke.

"So this is your home…" She said softly. Her voice was sweet but strong, carrying a hint of fire and hidden power.

"…at last, I return. Uzumaki Naruto…is back." The taller figure replied as he reached up and removed his hood.

Revealed were the sun-kissed blond hair, pale whisker marks, and bright blue eyes of Konoha's resident jinchuriki. He looked to be about sixteen now, and his hair had grown longer than before. He wore no hitai-ate, so his wild hair hung around his head, concealing the golden orange of the roots. Slowly a smile broke across the teenager's face as his partner pushed her own hood back.

"Welcome to your new home, Hikari." He said as he turned his head to smile down at the younger girl.

Hikari was revealed in all her glory to any who cared to look. Her long flowing hair was a brilliant red with glossy golden streaks scattered through out it. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were a brilliant gold with just a hint of elongation to the pupils. Her lips were ruby red and her canines seemingly elongated, and her face showed the faintest of whisker-like markings on her cheeks.

"I am home…Master."

Uzumaki Naruto had returned.

* * *

The pair lazily made their way through Konoha, winding through the various streets of the market district on their way to a very familiar ramen bar. On the way they stopped here and there to buy trinkets for Hikari, who took everything in with wonder and a bit of suspicion. As they walked they saw people wearing masks shaped like foxes or the Yondaime, and even saw a few other people with whisker marks painted on their cheeks. Naruto had initially been worried that he might have problems returning today of all days, but he doubted that either of them would be recognized or harassed if others were wearing the same markings.

Eventually they reached Ichiraku's and entered. Naruto immediately stopped in surprise at what he saw before him. There, in front of the stool where he had always sat when he would come here, the countertop had been turned into a small shrine. There was a picture of him, smiling after he had consumed a record number forty bowls of ramen in one sitting. Next to the picture incense burned aromatically in a small bowl, while in front of the picture sat a small open book with a pen laid atop it. Hikari looked at Naruto in confusion as the blond boy stepped forward to get a better look at the book and what was written on it.

"Here rests the spirit of Uzumaki Naruto, betrayed by his brother, hated by his village, but loved by all who truly knew him. May he find ramen always plentiful in the next world."

As Naruto read aloud the old man in the kitchen and the young women behind the counter paused what they were doing to look up at him. As this pause stopped their production of ramen and service of the other customers, many in the now larger restaurant turned to look at the blond figure who was reading the memorial for the poor genin who had died three years before. Hikari looked at all of the people who were looking, and the shocked looks on their faces.

"What? You all look like you've seen a ghost or something." She said, confused and a little testy that everyone was looking at her Master that way.

"No young lady." Ayame said quietly as she turned her attention to the short red head that stood behind the blond boy. The girl couldn't have been more than five feet if she was a day. "It's just…he looks so much like I imagine Naruto-kun would have looked, ha-had… he-had he not been killed."

Ayame couldn't continue as she began to tear up and cry softly.

Naruto chuckled and smiled.

"A fitting memorial for him." Naruto said with a gentle smile as he moved to take the seat next to the memorial, motioning for Hikari to sit beside him.

After one last look at the memorial the red-haired girl did so, her cloak never revealing what she wore beneath it. Ayame nodded in appreciation of Naruto's compliment and then turned back to serving one of the customers as he picked up the book. Below the memorial announcement there was a list of names that filled the entire page.

"Ichiraku Teuchi, Ichiraku Ayame, Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, Umino Iruka, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata, Akamichi Chouji, Yamanaka Ino, Sarutobi Asuma, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Aburame Shino, Yuhi Kurenai, Ero-sennin" Naruto chuckled as he read the way Jiraiya had signed his name. "Senju Tsunade, Moegi, Udon, Shizune, Inuzuka Hana, Inuzuka Tsume, Tenzo, Sabaku no Temari, Sabaku no Gaara…"

Naruto trailed off as he reached the end of the page. Flipping through the book quickly he was shocked to find that almost the entire book was filled with names.

"Every person who knew Naruto for who he truly was, a hero, has made a trip here to sign that book." Ayame said, snapping Naruto out of his reverie. "I think it would make him proud to see just how many people he managed to touch, managed to gain acceptance from."

Naruto chuckled and looked up with a sad smile on his face.

"I'm sure it would, Ayame ne-chan." He said, suddenly not feeling like ramen again.

It took the brunette girl several seconds before she realized that this blond stranger had just called her the same thing Naruto always did anytime he came to visit. She spun around in shock, but there was no sign of Naruto or the red-haired girl who had been with him. All that was there was the book open to the last page, the pen sitting on top of it. Carefully she pulled the book to herself and lifted it, looking down at the very bottom of the very last page where the final two lines had been filled in. Disbelievingly she read the two names.

"Uzumaki…Hikari…Uzumaki…Naruto…"

Business at Ichiraku Ramen came to a screeching halt as the daughter of the owner passed out on the floor of the kitchen. As everyone rushed to help her, no one noticed the book she was still clutching in her hands.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi stood before the pyramidal memorial stone, lost in memories as he gazed at it. Memories of all those he had let down, who had died. His father, Rin, Obito, Minato, Naruto… Kakashi was so lost in thought that he didn't even sense it when two figures approached slowly from behind him until they were about twenty feet away. The nearer figure stopped and silently regarded the famous shinobi. His hair glinted yellow in the sunlight and his eyes glittered blue. To the side and slightly behind him Hikari stood analyzing the silver-haired man as well. She could tell that he was a fighter, but he had an air of laziness about him that just didn't sit well with the fiery girl.

Finally after several long moments Kakashi spoke, having finally noticed the pair's presence.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked, ready just in case they were here for a fight. The cyclopean Jounin could hear the rustle of their cloaks and was wary in case they were Akatsuki members sent to kill him.

"I don't know, can you? You certainly didn't have time for me before the Chunin Exams." A voice filled with humor replied.

Kakashi turned in confusion.

_Chunin Exams? I haven't had anything to do with the Chunin Exams in three yea-_

Kakashi's thoughts were cut off as he caught sight of the figure that had been behind him. Naruto had grown a lot in the past three years, and he now stood just under six feet tall. He had lost all traces of baby-fat, and his features were chiseled yet soft at the same time. Naruto was smiling brightly, and in the flash of sunlight that glinted off of his hair Kakashi's eyes widened as the figure before him became overlaid by the ghostly afterimages of both his old sensei Minato and his old student Naruto.

"Whoever you are, I do not appreciate the joke." Kakashi said harshly as he brought his hands together into a hand seal. Behind Naruto Hikari tensed, but she remained still when Naruto motioned with his hand for her to stay put. "Kai!"

Naruto chuckled as nothing happened.

"That's not going to work, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said before he brought his hand up before him in a seal. Behind him Hikari hurried to form the same seal, although she was clumsy about it Kakashi noted. "After all, you can't dispel a living being, now can you?"

Before Kakashi could react there was a burst of flame and the pair disappeared.

_Damn, that was a flame shunshin. But…there's no way!! There's no way that could possibly be him!!...is there?_

Kakashi sat down, hard, as the sudden implications sunk in. Either he had just been speaking to a ghost…or Naruto had really returned from the dead.

* * *

Elsewhere in Konoha a short girl with dark-purple hair and pale lavender eyes was walking slowly through a forested street when two bursts of flame appeared not ten feet from her. She stopped in her tracks and underneath her purple and white clothes she tensed, ready for an attack. She was just about to activate her Byakugan when the figures before her turned to face her.

The nearest was a short red-haired girl whose hair glittered like the fire that she had just appeared from. Her eyes glinted a golden color that reminded Hinata of a fox, while her face showed pale whisker marks that reminded Hinata of the boy she had once loved. The second figure however caused her breath to catch in her throat. His sun-kissed blond hair waving so gently in the faint breeze, his smiling face marred only by three identical whisker marks on each cheek. His eyes glimmering that beautiful crystal blue that she had only ever seen on one person.

_N-Naruto!?!_

Hinata promptly passed out, the thud of her hitting the ground drawing the attention of a pair of passing genin who were probably Hikari's age.

"Whoops, guess I chose a bad place to appear. Let's get out of here Hikari." Naruto said as he grabbed Hikari's hand and dragged her off, sprinting down an alley just as Hinata was coming to.

"Naru…to…?" She questioned softly, confusing the pair of genin.

One, a girl with orangey hair up in two pigtails looked at her teammate in confusion.

"She couldn't possibly mean…"

Her companion, a brown-haired boy wearing an absurdly long blue scarf looked towards where Naruto and Hikari had disappeared in shock, remembering the brief glance he had gotten of the young man.

"…Boss…?" He questioned silently, hoping beyond hope that it really was Naruto who had been there.

* * *

A slightly winded Naruto and Hikari came to a stop several blocks away and leant against a building to catch their breath.

"Phew, that was close…" He said. "If anyone was going to recognize me it was Konohamaru."

Hikari looked up at Naruto curiously.

"Kono-hamaru? He was the grandson of your Jii-san, wasn't he? The one you taught that perverted technique to?" She inquired.

"Yeah." Naruto chuckled. "That's the one. And I'm sure he'll spoil the surprise if he realizes I'm here, so we had to get out of there fast."

Hikari giggled.

"Well, given that he might have figured it out, as several others we have visited are likely beginning to, shouldn't we make a move before your prank is totally ruined?"

Naruto chuckled and stood upright before reaching into his cloak and withdrawing a shining hitai-ate. He had kept it polished all these years, hoping for a chance to return. Finally, it was time to put it back on.

"It's time, old friend."

Still grinning he pulled the hitai-ate up and tied it around his forehead. As he finished knotting the black gold-edged bandana behind his head he lowered his hands and smiled as he brought his hands together in a familiar cross-shaped seal.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: Nine-tailed Warrior!"

There was a massive burst of smoke, and suddenly every bit of street, tree, and rooftop around the pair became covered by copies of Naruto. Each of them was grinning as the sunlight glinted off of their hitai-ate and was absorbed by their black cloaks.

"It is time, brothers, to reveal ourselves to Konoha. Let them know that Uzumaki Naruto has returned, in the only way we know how!"

Over two thousand identical voices returned a chorus of "Yosh!!" as they pulled on black and red ANBU masks shaped like foxes before they all blurred and disappeared, each one off to pull a different prank.

Still grinning, Naruto turned and walked out of the alley and onto one of the busy streets, making a bee-line for the Hokage's Tower, where Tsunade would most likely be buried under a massive mountain of paperwork.

As Hikari followed him he began to grin, the cacophony of shrieks and curses as his clones went to work music to his ears, and in the distance he could see a large number of his clones going to work painting the Hokage monument.

Yes, today was a good day to return.

* * *

Tsunade Senju was currently buried alive by her worst enemy…paperwork.

"Grah! Whoever came up with the idea of paperwork should be hung." She grumbled as she sat back after finishing off yet another pile of the unending paperwork. Yet for every pile of paper she finished off, three more took its place.

_Why I ever let that brat talk me into taking this job I'll never understand._

Not for the first time since Naruto's death Tsunade felt tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered the smiling faces of the three people she had loved in her life: her brother Nawaki, her lover Dan, and her grandson Naruto. However, her descent into depression and ultimately several bottles of sake was interrupted by a sudden loud explosion that echoed through her window. Tsunade shot to her feet in surprise mere moments before her door was flung open by a Chunin.

"Hokage-sama! It's an emergency! Thousands of shinobi wearing black cloaks and fox masks are terrorizing the village! We have no idea who they are or where they came from!" He cried out as he caught his breath.

Tsunade's eyes widened and her hands tightened in fear.

_No. It couldn't be. Konoha couldn't be under attack again._

"Ichiro, quickly, where are they attacking from and how many civilian casualties have occurred?" Tsunade yelled frantically as she gathered herself together and pulled out a large map of the village to assist in forming a battle plan.

"Um, that's just it, Hokage-sama." Ichiro responded. "They aren't attacking from anywhere, really. They just all suddenly appeared in the center of the village near some of the older clan compounds. And, um, well, there haven't really been any casualties. In fact, as far as we can tell the only people who have been hurt have injured themselves when shocked by the unidentified shinobi."

"Then why did you say they are terrorizing the village?!" Tsunade yelled as she slammed her fist down on her desk.

"Well, um…" Ichiro replied now looking very sheepish and embarrassed. "Because all the strange shinobi seem to be doing is launching a series of pranks disrupting everyone and everything in sight. Hell, half of them have done nothing more than run along rooftops lobbing balloons filled with orange paint in all directions."

Tsunade stared at Ichiro in confusion. After all, what he had just described sounded more like one of Naruto's pranks than an enemy attack.

_No, no time to think about Naruto. I must figure out who these shinobi are and just what their real goal is before it is too late._

"Look out Hokage-sama!" Ichiro yelled, diving towards the distracted Hokage.

Tsunade spun just in time to see Ichiro take an orange balloon straight to the chest. Beyond his collapsed body, crouched in the window and wearing a grinning red and black fox mask, was one of the blond enemy shinobi. Tsunade couldn't see his eyes, but she could have sworn the figure was silently laughing at her. After a moment the figure cocked his head towards Ichiro and then fell backwards out of the window. By the time Tsunade had rushed to the edge the figure had already disappeared into the crowd of likely-clothed figures terrorizing the populace. When she looked up further, she blinked in confusion before her mind registered the words that were now painted in big bold orange letters across the five faces on the Hokage monument.

In memory of Uzumaki Naruto. May he rest in peace.

Tsunade slammed her head onto the windowsill and groaned. Whoever was behind this mess was going to pay for the headache he was about to cause her. She could already imagine the mountain of paperwork she was about to have to deal with.

* * *

Near the base of the Hokage tower a pair of black cloaked figures leaned nonchalantly against the side of a building, watching the symphony of chaos that roiled around them. After a few moments the shortest of the pair, Hikari, turned to Naruto and asked him a question in a calm measured voice, with just a hint of curiosity in it.

"So, do you believe that this chaos will be enough for us to infiltrate as you had planned? Surely if the ninja of this village are as powerful as you say they will be on guard after all of this."

Naruto chuckled, causing Hikari to raise one eyebrow in a questioning manner, a habit she had picked up from a traveling wolf scholar named Spock.

"Most of this village at the very best tolerates me, at worst wishes I were dead. The reminders that this chaos will bring to them, both of the Kyuubi attack and of me personally, should be sufficient to disrupt their emotional balance. This provides the opening needed for infiltration. Besides, with the clones about to make a break for it, no one will suspect the real me to be infiltrating while they are all kept busy." Naruto replied.

Hikari regarded him for a moment before nodding and leaning back against the wall again.

"Now, remember what I taught you. Feel the energy flowing around you. Let it merge with that within you, and let yourself slide into that flow." Naruto said as he brought one hand up before him in a loose hand sign which Hikari quickly imitated.

"Way of the Fox: Nature's Essence." He whispered softly, Hikari's voice a faint echo of his.

There was a very faint swirl of wind and then the pair disappeared. In their place was a pair of small foxes, each with primarily black fur. One, the older and obviously male of the pair, had gold tips to his ears and a dark red tip to his tail. The other, the younger and obviously female of the pair, had pure red ears and white paws, while her tail was entirely black. Without making any sound the pair disappeared inside an air vent and entered the Hokage tower.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi was not a happy person in general. Almost everyone important in his life, with the notable exceptions of his student Sakura, some of his friends amongst the Konoha ninja corps, and the Toad Sage Jiraiya, were either dead or traitors to his home. Today was no exception.

First, he had awoken early this morning to find that the power had gone out the night before, causing all the food in his refrigerator to go bad. Then, while searching for a restaurant with edible food that was open that early he had to dodge someone dumping dirty water out their windows no fewer than six times.

The rest of his morning had seemed to be going fine after that. He got his food, ate it, and made his way to the memorial stone for his daily 'chat' with his dead friends and family. Then everything really went downhill.

First had been that apparition that had appeared to him before the memorial stone, of a blond teenager who looked like an older Naruto and the younger red-haired girl who seemed to be following him. After he had overcome his shock he had headed straight for the Hokage tower, all prior commitments be damned, to report the incident to Tsunade. On the way all hell managed to break loose as what looked like several hundred shinobi, all wearing black cloaks and red and black fox masks, suddenly appeared and began attacking everyone and everything in sight.

It took Kakashi mere moments to realize that whoever it was apparently was not after blood, as most of the projectiles being thrown were harmless balloons filled with neon orange paint. Again he was reminded of Naruto, particularly when he noted the blond hair of the attackers and the black cloaks, identical to the ones the apparition had worn just minutes before.

He had been about to pick up his pace in order to reach the Hokage and report his suspicions as soon as possible when he heard a feminine whistle come from his right down an alley he was passing. He stopped and looked, and instantly regretted it.

Standing in the center of the alley was a tall blond woman. She was wearing absolutely no clothes and her absolutely flawless body was bared for any who passed to see. The blood had just begun to seep out of Kakashi's nose when the neon orange balloon collided with his face, turning it and most of his Jounin vest bright neon orange. It was only as the figure before him dispelled itself after seeming to wink at him that he realized that the woman had been wearing a red and black fox mask.

Groaning at how Kami must have it out for him, Kakashi shook off as much of the paint as he could and hurried on towards the tower, more convinced than ever that if not Naruto, someone who looked a damn awful lot like him and who was mimicking his behavior and skills, was behind this chaos. Either way, he knew Tsunade would kill him if he didn't report this as soon as possible.

* * *

Two hours later over sixty of Konoha's finest had been gathered before the Hokage in one of the larger meeting rooms. Tsunade sat at her large desk, flanked by two of her advisors, and regarded the sixty men and women gathered before her. Most of them looked harried or disheveled, many bearing the neon orange markings that had resulted from their encounters with the enemy shinobi. From her position at the head of her room she could easily recognize several ANBU commanders, Ibiki and Anko of the Torture and Interrogation Division, several Jounin team leaders, as well as the three girls she and Shizune had taken on as apprentices shortly after the abortive mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke that had cost them the life of Uzumaki Naruto.

_No, I will not remember that pain, not here, not now._

Tsunade grabbed hold of her emotions and shoved the pain in a vault within her mind before she began to speak.

"As all of you know, a little over two hours ago a host of unidentified shinobi of an undisclosed size managed to infiltrate the city. Given that reports all agree that the host suddenly appeared in the center of the city and spread outward, it is safe to assume that they either infiltrated the city in disguise before launching their attack, or that the actual number of shinobi present was a very small number and that they utilized clones. Given how any of the unidentified enemies who were attacked dissolved into smoke immediately, I believe it is safe to assume that it was a small group, possible less than ten people, all using Kage Bunshin or a similar technique."

Near the front of the room Hatake Kakashi sighed. He hadn't been able to get Tsunade alone nor get a message about his suspicions to her since he had arrived at the tower. At least the analysis she was presenting seemed to gel with his theory on the matter.

"Reports from ANBU and other squads dispatched to deal with the aftermath of this chaos have reported startlingly few injuries, particularly for a ninja raid. In fact, no one died, and the only injuries reported have been identified as being accidents caused by people fleeing the…paint balloons in fright."

Around the room several people snickered lightly. Kakashi noted that none of those who did were wearing a new coat of paint.

"And then there was the message scrawled on the Hokage Monument. 'In memory of Uzumaki Naruto. May he rest in peace." Tsunade took careful note of who in the room scowled at this and who's eyes widened in shock. "Which begs the question, why? Why did they do this? Was this just some memorial to Naruto? Was it some prank in his honor, a way for someone who respected Naruto to get revenge on the village that treated him like an outcast his entire life, or perhaps a way to dishonor that memory by making everyone hate him even more? Or was it a distraction for some more sinister activity?"

Tsunade slammed her palms down on her desk as she stood.

"I want answers people, and I want them as soon as possible! Because if this was someone mocking Naruto's memory, I swear I will have their heads!"

"Why Baa-chan, I didn't know you cared." A smooth tenor voice echoed around the room as all sixty-three gathered shinobis' eyes widened in surprise.

A blond black-cloaked figure had suddenly materialized in the center of the room in a shimmer of air, hanging upside down from the ceiling by a rope with his fox-mask covered face barely a foot away from Tsunade's. The figure's wild blond hair hung limply away from his head thanks to gravity as everyone in the room stared at him in shock. Shock at his appearance. Shock that he had somehow been able to conceal his presence so ably that none of the Jounin in the room could even sense him. Shock that the figure would have the stupidity to insult Tsunade, one of the strongest women alive.

Sure enough, after blinking in surprise for several seconds, Tsunade's eyes narrowed in anger and she drew back her fist to punch the figure before her. The figure remained absolutely still, almost seeming to be laughing at her, as the Legendary Sucker launched a punch straight for his face. However, at the very last moment he was suddenly jerked upwards as the rope he was hanging from ascended. The gathered shinobi followed his rise with his gaze and then opened their eyes in surprise again as they saw a second masked figure, this one with long hanging red hair, standing on the ceiling and hauling the first up via the rope. Again, they had not sensed the figure at all.

"Tut-tut, Baa-chan. I'm not going to let you hit me anymore. I decided that always getting hit in the head wasn't conducive to my cognitive functions." The blond figure said as his feet connected with the ceiling and he let go of the rope.

The gathered shinobi, many of whom already had weapons secretly primed and ready to strike in case this mysterious intruder was a threat, noted that red-haired figure seemed to pull the rope into her cloak before her hands appeared once again free before her.

"Who the hell are you?!" Tsunade yelled as she shook her fist at the figure. "What are you doing here?! And why the hell have you been mocking my grandson!?"

The figure above remained silent, although had the three Hyuuga in the room bothered to activate their Byakugan they would have seen the wide and slightly teary eyes of one Uzumaki Naruto as she heard Tsunade call him grandson. Even though he knew that the woman had cared about him, and he had considered her like a grandmother, she had never called him that before his 'death.' At least, not that he knew of.

Finally the hanging figure spoke.

"I think at least some of those gathered here have already figured out who I am. Those who have, probably also have a good idea why I'm here."

The figure reached up and gripped his mask with one hand. As he slowly removed it and looked down at the gathered shinobi he began to smile.

"And why in the hell would I mock myself?"

In the front of the crowd, right in front of the Hokage and next to their third fellow apprentice, two girls hit the ground with a thud as they passed out.

On the ceiling above, as everyone stared at him in shock, surprise, and a few cases anger or disdain, Uzumaki Naruto blinked and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Um, why did they just pass out?" He asked, totally clueless even after three years.

* * *

After Hinata and Sakura had been brought back to consciousness Naruto and his mysterious companion had dropped to the ground before bowing low before Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, you do not know how much of a pleasure it is to see you once again."

Tsunade almost looked like she was about to cry right before she pulled Naruto in a bone-breaking hug.

"You brat! You made me think you were dead!"

"Ack! Tsunade-baa-chan! Too tight!"

Tsunade let go of Naruto and the blond teen caught his breath quickly before standing upright once more.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, but I had no choice in the matter." He spoke softly, loud enough that those gathered could hear him, but still soft enough to be gentle. "Events after my…death…were not really under my control. It took me the better part of three years to engineer a way to return, and even after I had I needed to take some time for myself to figure some things out."

Behind Naruto a very red Hinata was blushing brightly and threatening to pass out again as she realized that the boy she had loved and thought dead was not only standing before her, real flesh and blood, but that he looked like a Greek god. Beside her Yamanaka Ino stood slack-jawed, in utter awe at Naruto's new hottie appearance and already beginning to think of a method to ask him out on a date, while Sakura tried to remain standing as the fact that Naruto, her teammate and perhaps one of the most important people to have ever been in her life, was alive finally sank in.

_He's alive! He's alive he's alive he's alive!_ Sakura chanted over and over again in her own mind. _And he got HOT! Sasuke doesn't compare in the least!_

Oddly, Inner Sakura did not object to this last statement.

"But what happened, Naruto? We were sure that you had been killed. Your clash with Sasuke didn't even leave a body behind." Tsunade asked as she appraised the young bo-no, young man standing before her.

_He's grown tall, far more than his earlier height would have indicated. And so handsome, he looks almost exactly like his father did at his age. Except for the whisker marks of course. But who exactly is this girl with him?_

"The simple explanation, and the only one I wish to give at this time and in mixed company, is that I was…transported somewhere very, very far away from here, with no idea where I was in relation to Konoha or how to get back. So instead of being an idiot and running around looking for a way home, I accepted training from the people I encountered and spent most of the past three years training and teaching in a place called the Jade Palace. Then about four months ago I came across some scrolls in the palace's library and began to study up on a form of summoning technique. Two more months of work and I was able to use it in order to return here…well, close to here at least. I spent the last two months adapting to the changes that I acquired, as well as preparing my…welcome home announcement. I changed a few of my plans after seeing the shrine at Ichiraku's…" Several people around the room chuckled as they put two and two together. "…and the end result is the chaos which you have just witnessed. You know, security really sucks in Konoha, Baa-chan. A dead man could slip through it. In fact, one just did."

Naruto shot Tsunade a cheeky grin before flipping backwards to avoid one of her super powered punches. He landed next to Sakura and winked at his old teammate before he calmly walked back up to stand beside his mysterious red-haired companion.

"I'd really like it if you stopped trying to punch me, Tsunade-sama. Hikari here takes particular annoyance with those who try to harm me. The last person who tried to actively pick a fight with me ended up buried up to their neck in sand while she dropped scorpions on their head." Naruto chuckled at the memory. "Needless to say he needed the attention of a skilled medic when she was through with him."

By Naruto's side the still-masked figure of Hikari straightened with pride as she heard Naruto detail one of her more recent endeavors. To the shinobi gathered Naruto's words may have just been a recitation of an event he found humorous, but to Hikari the way he phrased it indicated his pride in her.

Tsunade looked over at the still masked girl.

"And…just who is this…Hikari? And I must insist that she remove her mask. I cannot have unidentified possibly S-rank shinobi in my village without being able to recognize their face." She said as her gaze tried to bore through the mask of the young girl, who couldn't have been more than a year or two younger than Naruto.

Hikari tensed at Tsunade's demand, and around the room many shinobi readied themselves in case she tried to either run or attack Tsunade. However, Naruto turned to face her and smiled, indicating with a small wave of his hand and a hand sign that no one recognized that it was ok for her to remove her mask. Still hesitant, Hikari slowly reached up and gripped the edges of her mask with both hands. Those nearby could hear the girl take a deep breath and let it out slowly as she finally removed her mask, lowering her arms and carrying the mask with it. Tsunade nearly gasped at the sight of the girl before her.

Hikari, she instantly estimated in her expert medical opinion, couldn't have been younger than fourteen. Her long red hair shined with golden streaks as a lock of it fell down to obscure her left eye. Her skin was pale, almost dangerously so, and on each cheek three faint whisker-like markings stood out, similar to Naruto's own. Her eyes were a brilliant, exotic gold color with pupils that appeared to be slightly slitted, her lips were a vibrant ruby red, which Tsunade had to wonder about whether it was natural or not. Finally, her canines appeared slightly elongated, and she lacked a hitai-ate unlike Naruto who wore his proudly on his forehead.

Hikari smiled very faintly, clearly nervous, and moved to stand slightly behind Naruto, unnerved by Tsunade's gaze. Naruto cleared his throat to return Tsunade's attention to him before he began speaking. As he did so, he noticed the dark looks that the two elders who flanked Tsunade were shooting him and Hikari.

"This is Hikari, my apprentice. She was an orphan in the village where I ended up, and I took her in to train her personally about a year after my arrival there. Since then I have trained her in everything I know, and when I finally found a way to return she refused to let me go alone." Naruto spoke with a smile on his face and pride in his voice. "If anyone has a problem with me bringing her with me though, there is a simple solution."

Naruto held gaze with both of the old advisors as he said this, daring either of them to speak. Unsurprisingly, it was Koharu who proved too stupid, or perhaps too bigoted, for her own good.

"I feel, Hokage-sama, that these two should surrender themselves to Ibiki for interrogation. If they are telling the truth and mean us no harm then they will not suffer for it. If they are, I am sure that Ibiki will be able to get the truth out of them." The old crone spoke haughtily with her superior tone grating on Naruto just like Tai Lung's had three years before.

Before Tsunade could even reply Hikari growled and then suddenly lashed out with one arm. One of Tsunade's ANBU guards suddenly appeared before Koharu, an odd thin knife caught in his hand. Hikari was baring her teeth and looked like she was about to dash towards the old woman who had threatened Naruto before the blond boy held one hand up, again with a hand sign that none in the room but Hikari could identify. The red-haired girl continued to glare at Koharu and growl lightly, but she drew back and stood at Naruto's arm once more.

"I am sorry, Tsunade-sama, but if all I am going to receive upon returning is the same bigoted treatment that I received for the first twelve years of my life, particularly if even a single iota of that is going to be directed towards Hikari, then there is no reason for me to stay here. Hikari and I will return to the Valley of Peace and none of you will have to deal with us or my prisoner ever again."

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock at how openly Naruto just mentioned the Kyuubi sealed within him. He had never been that cavalier in referring to his burden before his disappearance.

"Naruto, are you serious? You would leave Konoha forever? Your home, your birthplace, the village you are so dedicated to protect?" Tsunade asked, worry evident on her face.

"I would, Hokage-same." Naruto responded, his use of her full title causing Tsunade to cringe and showing her that Naruto was completely serious. "After all, back in the Valley of Peace the people love and respect me, for who I am. None of them hate me for the being which I have kept contained for the past sixteen years of my life. None of them ostracize me for my appearance and mistreat me. Hikari is treated well, despite being an orphan, because of her position as my apprentice. Why would I ever remain in a village that would mistreat the both of us?"

Naruto cocked his head and crossed his arms as he finished speaking. Tsunade had to admit, Naruto made a point. Finally, after several seconds with no response Naruto straightened his head and lost his cocky smile, his face becoming a mask of seriousness.

"I have several conditions that must be met if I am to return and become a shinobi of Konoha, Tsunade-sama, none of which I will discuss here in public. I request a closed session of the Council, wherein I will tell you my conditions. If Konoha will not meet each and every one of my conditions, then Hikari and I will leave and I promise you, we will never return."

Ignoring Koharu and Homura's outbursts Tsunade smiled faintly and held up a hand for silence. After several long moments, during which all the shinobi in the room waited with baited breath, she spoke.

"Very well. I will convene a meeting of the full council in three hours, where we will hear your request. Until then, would you mind having a private meeting with me in my office?" Tsunade winked at Naruto as she finished.

Naruto brought his hands together, his right in a fist and his left palm open with the fingers up and bowed before Tsunade. Behind him Hikari hurriedly matched his actions.

"That is acceptable, Hokage-sama. If you do not mind, there are some people I would wish to be present during the meeting, as I have not seen them in a very long time."

Tsunade smiled.

"And who would those happen to be, Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto flashed Tsunade his trademark cheeky fox grin.

"Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, and Umino Iruka."

Behind the blond boy Hinata slumped her shoulders in despair as Sakura silently pumped her fist in the air. All the while, Sakura along with most of the other young women in the room kept wondering just what sort of body Naruto was hiding under that black cloak of his.

As Tsunade led Naruto and Hikari out of the room, followed by two of the three people Naruto had requested the presence of, the Hokage did not notice the calculating looks Koharu and Homura were shooting one another.

* * *

"So, Naruto, care to tell us what you have really been doing for the past three years?" Kakashi asked amusedly as he took a seat in front of Tsunade's desk.

The blond Hokage had had six chairs gathered and displayed before her desk as they entered and then dismissed her ANBU guard. Naruto and Hikari had chosen to take the center two chairs, with Hikari to Naruto's right, while Kakashi took the left most chair and Sakura took the chair immediately to Naruto's left. Naruto had raised an eyebrow in question as Tsunade sat down in her own seat behind her desk and withdrew a bottle of sake and several of the small bowls for serving it, but the blond woman had merely mouthed 'Shizune'.

"Actually, I would rather wait for Iruka and Shizune to arrive. I would much rather not have to repeat the story twice, and given that there is a distinct possibility that that I will not be remaining in Konoha for more than a few hours I'd rather not waste any time." Naruto replied as he adjusted his cloak and then clasped his hands in his lap.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and attuned all his senses to the world around him. After a few moments he opened his eyes again and smiled.

"It's clear. I sense no presences nearby except you three, the guards waiting outside your office, and the pair about to barge through the door."

Right as he predicted the doors were suddenly flung open by a frantic Iruka, who was being trailed by an out-of-breath Shizune.

"Hokage-sama! Is it true?! Has Naruto really returned from the dead?!"

Naruto smirked as he remained seated facing Tsunade and raised his right hand lazily. "Yo."

Iruka turned to look at him and his eyes widened as he took in the more mature Naruto.

"You better sit down before you pass out, sensei. I promise I'll explain everything I can in a moment." Naruto said with a chuckle before a soft smile appeared on his face and his eyes became deep with emotion. "It's good to see you again…Iruka-sensei."

Iruka sat down as his knees gave out and Shizune hurriedly took her own seat, shooting Naruto a reassuring smile as she did so.

Tsunade smiled and nodded before beginning to pour sake into the saucers. When she was finished she offered some to her guests, knowing full well that most of them would probably need it. Sakura happily accepted a saucer, although her hands were shaking slightly, while Iruka and Shizune both downed theirs in one gulp. Hikari waved off the alcoholic drink politely, still not speaking, while Naruto and Kakashi both took a saucer with a smile. Naruto noted that of all those in the room, Kakashi was the only one who was covered in orange paint. He figured one of his clones must have caught sight of Kakashi during the raid and decided to snake him with one of the projectiles.

Naruto downed the saucer slowly, enjoying the burning sensation the alcohol caused on the way down, before setting saucer back on the desk and watching with amusement as Tsunade proceeded to simply drink the sake straight from the bottle. After two more rounds of the caustic liquid to settle everyone's nerves (particularly Sakura's) everyone settled into their seats and eyed Naruto expectantly. The blond teen chuckled and placed his hands in his lap before he began speaking.

"Well, it all started three years ago, while I was fighting Sasuke…"

* * *

Naruto spent nearly the entire three hours just talking with the people he considered family. Jiraiya wasn't there, but Naruto had encountered him shortly after his return to his own world when he had summoned a toad for the first time in three years. Apparently Gamakichi had spilled the beans to Jiraiya and the old man had made a bee-line straight for Naruto using frog summoning, without bothering to send a message back to Konoha. When Naruto explained that Jiraiya had refrained from informing Tsunade of his return for nearly two months at his request Tsunade made a note to beat the snot out of Jiraiya the next time he was in Konoha.

He talked about his life in the other world. About how the inhabitants were all intelligent animals and he had been transformed into a fox. About how he defeated Tai Lung, and how he spent the next year coming to grips with his changed situation and the fact that he had been forced to kill once more. He talked about his friends in the Furious Five, his Master Shifu, and even the energetic noodle chef, Po. Everyone laughed when Naruto mentioned that Po's noodles, while good, just couldn't match Ichiraku's, even Hikari.

He explained briefly how he had encountered Hikari after the latter had run away from the orphanage for the umpteenth time that month, and how he had seen a lot of himself in her. Everyone had grown quite as Naruto's voice took on a sad tone. He had decided that rather than let Hikari develop into a self-destructive young woman he would take her under his wing and train her. When he had brought her back to the Jade Palace and declared her his apprentice Master Shifu had only smiled and accepted it. Naruto had, after all, defeated Tai Lung. Surely he could handle a twelve year old girl.

Finally, as the time for the Council meeting approached Naruto stood and stretched.

"Well, I think we should be heading on down to the Council chambers, don't you Tsunade-sama? Wouldn't want to keep the old blowhards and bigots waiting, now would we?" Naruto said with a chuckle.

The others all stood and as they passed Naruto to exit the room they each gave him a hug in turn. Tsunade's was bone breaking while Shizune's was quick and sweet, and she whispered a quiet 'welcome home' in the boy's ear. Iruka's had been nearly as bone crushing as Tsunade's, while Kakashi merely shook his hand, a proud smile on his face at all that he had learned about Naruto's life.

Finally it was Sakura's turn, and the pink-haired girl kept tugging at her skirt as she looked at her feet. Naruto was about to ask his old friend and teammate what was wrong when she suddenly quit fidgeting with her skirt and looked up. Naruto saw a depth of emotion in her eyes that he only remembered having seen one time, just after Sasuke had fled the village. The two shared a look for a moment before Sakura suddenly lunged forward. She wrapped her arms tightly around Naruto and buried her face against his chest as she began to cry.

"God, I thought you were dead. I missed you so much you big idiot. Don't ever make me cry like this again, you got that?" She sobbed into his chest and Naruto slowly wrapped his arms around her too.

As Naruto tried to comfort the crying girl he didn't notice the way Hikari was glaring at Sakura and clenching and unclenching her fists. Tsunade and Shizune both noticed it however, and began to wonder just what Naruto meant to the young girl.

* * *

When they reached the Council chambers Naruto and Hikari were forced to remain outside while Tsunade and Shizune entered and took their positions at the head of the council. The pair, while offered a seat by the four ANBU guarding the door and trying to unobtrusively keep the pair under observation, chose to stand instead. Naruto remained standing with his arms crossed before him as he waited, tapping his foot slowly in a random pattern…or at least one that the ANBU couldn't hope to break anytime soon.

Behind him Hikari stood with her arms crossed as well, equally as stony faced as Naruto. She was listening carefully to the taps of Naruto's foot, interpreting the code as instructions on how to behave in the Council chambers. She almost started growling at some of his commands, but she would obey. She just HATED letting anyone get away with insulting or threatening her master, almost as much as she hated when other women flirted with him. Sure, she hadn't gotten the nerve up to admit her own feelings to him, but she wanted to make sure no one snuck him out from under her before she was ready.

When the council was finally ready for them another pair of ANBU opened the door and motioned for them to enter. Naruto had nodded and uncrossed his arms as he strode purposefully forward into the room, followed closely by Hikari.

* * *

As soon as Tsunade had entered the room a number of the councilors began to demand an explanation for why she had called this emergency meeting. She however ignored their childish behavior and demands for attention until she had settled into her seat, wearing the robes of her office to show just how serious she was taking this meeting. The large conical hat on her head seemed surprisingly out of place, given that she had only worn it a handful of times since she had become Hokage. After waiting for everyone to finally quiet down Tsunade spoke.

"As I am sure most of you have heard, we have discovered the source of today's…disruption. It was none other than Uzumaki Naruto, who apparently was not as dead as we had believed. His actions today were merely a prank, a way for him to announce his return, and thus it is my judgment that he shall not be punished for those actions. Given the way he was treated for nearly thirteen years of his life by both this village and this council, I feel that a little prank was justified on his part."

Tsunade shuffled a few documents she had brought with her, both in suspicion of what some of Naruto's conditions would be and as part of what she hoped would be a benefits package that would convince her grandson to remain in Konoha.

"Now, Uzumaki Naruto has returned with three years of training in a land a very long way from here, and has requested to rejoin Konoha's shinobi forces. We have called this council meeting because Naruto has a few conditions to his returning. If they are not met, or an acceptable compromise is not reached, he intends to leave Konoha and return to where he has been living. He assures me that if he returns there Konoha will never again be graced by his presence or influence, and from what I know of where he has been, his promise will prove to be true."

Tsunade adjusted the papers one last time.

"Now, if anyone has anything they would like to say before I have Uzumaki Naruto brought in, say it now. Once Naruto enters, no one will be allowed in or out of these chambers until this matter has been resolved one way or another."

A few of the council members whispered to one another but no one spoke up. Satisfied that no one was going to speak, Tsunade motioned for a pair of ANBU near the doors to let in Naruto and his companion.

As the doors opened and Naruto strode proudly into the room many of the council members gasped in surprise. Except for the whisker marks on his cheeks and the black cloak he wore Naruto could have been the spitting image of the Yondaime Hokage when Minato had been his age. Many of the council began to wonder if the 'demon brat' could have been related to the Yondaime. They were so shocked by Naruto's resemblance to the Yondaime that most of them did not even notice the shorter red-haired girl who followed him in.

Naruto strode purposefully to the center of the floor from which petitioners of the council and those called before them spoke from and stopped, waiting patiently to be addressed. Hikari stopped a few steps behind and to his right, but unlike Naruto she began to slowly gaze around at the assembled councilors, gauging their level of threat. Finally, after several long moments, Tsunade spoke.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you have been called before this council because you have requested permission to rejoin the ranks of Konoha's shinobi. However, since you have conditions, which you insist must be met before you will do so, this council has been called to determine whether those conditions will be acceptable or whether your request will be denied. This council may not be able or willing to meet all your conditions, but it is my personal hope that we can reach an acceptable compromise. Now, please state your conditions so that the council might deliberate."

Tsunade nodded at Naruto as she finished speaking, and the blond boy stepped forward a pace, spreading his legs and crossing his arms behind his back as he began to respond.

"Condition number one. I am aware that the Hokage possesses the knowledge of who my parents were. I demand that information to be unsealed, and all properties and titles that may have belonged to my parents be returned to me."

Most of those present in the room did not react too majorly to this. As far as they knew, Naruto was some orphaned no-name brat, so revealing who his parents were to him would likely not be a problem. Those few who had known that Naruto was the son of the Yondaime however narrowed their eyes. They likely would have spoken up, if it wasn't for the fact that in attempting to stop that condition from being granted at the present moment they would have to explain their reasons, and thus would end up defeating their own purpose.

"Condition number two. I will be reinstated within the Konoha shinobi corps with my previous rank of genin intact. Also, my companion Hikari will be instituted as a Konoha shinobi with a rank of genin, and we shall be assigned to the same team together. We shall not under any circumstances but our own desires be placed on separate teams, and any attempt by others to do so will not be tolerated."

The return of Naruto's previous rank was a given, but many of them started grumbling that the 'demon brat' would be ordering them to give some unknown woman a position as a Konoha shinobi.

"Condition number three. This council will in its entirety make a formal and public apology to Uzumaki Naruto for their behavior and the behavior of the village towards him. They will personally take responsibility for ensuring that each and every member of this village understands that Uzumaki Naruto is merely the jailor who has kept the Kyuubi contained and protected the village from her wrath for the past sixteen years and is thus a hero for it, not an outcast. After three months, anyone who is caught mistreating Uzumaki Naruto because of the being he keeps imprisoned will immediately be sent to visit Ibiki in the Torture and Interrogation division."

Naruto remained stone face as a number of councilors shot from their seats and began to shout, most yelling about how his latest condition was totally unacceptable and they would not agree to it in a million years. It took Tsunade over five minutes to finally quiet them all down, and Naruto merely regarded her with a calm steady gaze while Hikari continued to look around, noting which of the councilors were most outspoken, and which were glaring harshly while remaining quiet. She was very disappointed by the number when she was done.

When Tsunade had finally gotten the council quieted, with threats that if they interrupted Naruto with such an outbreak again she would agree to ALL of his conditions without approval from the council, she turned to face him and Hikari again and spoke calmly to the blond teen.

"Continue please, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgment before continuing.

"Condition number four. An announcement will be made immediately, informing the entire village that the ostracism or mistreatment of one Uzumaki Hikari will not be tolerated under any circumstances. As long as she does not critically injure or kill anyone who does not come at her with intent to harm or kill her, she will not be punished for any actions she takes to defend herself. Furthermore, anyone who violates this order after one week will be arrested by ANBU and taken to be interrogated by Morino Ibiki."

Naruto paused and sent a small smile back to Hikari, but the red-haired girl was busy scanning the faces of the council members and didn't notice.

"Condition number five. And this one is absolutely, one hundred percent, non-negotiable. From this day forward, it will be illegal to kill, harm, maim, torture, or otherwise injure foxes within Konoha and the surrounding lands. Not only will ANBU give their entire focus to finding and bringing to justice anyone who does so, I and Hikari will not be held accountable for criminal charges if we find anyone doing so. We can and will deal with them in the manner we see fit, even so far as killing them if we deem fit."

As Naruto said this he narrowed his eyes darkly, daring the gathered council members to interrupt him again. However, they all seemed to have believed Tsunade's previous threat, and while many of them where shaking with rage, none of them made a peep. Once he was satisfied that none of the bigoted old fools would be speaking he returned his gaze to Tsunade and brought his hands together before him, his right hand in a fist as he pressed it to his open left palm, and bowed.

"Those are the conditions, Hokage-sama. Take them or leave them, your choice. If Konoha is not willing to meet these conditions in order to have us back, then we shall leave immediately and never darken your doorstep."

Tsunade remained quiet for several long moments, mulling over her response, before finally replying.

"Uzumaki Naruto, I have considered your requests, and I am prepared to tell you what Konoha is willing to grant you immediately, regardless of whether we can come to an agreement on the other conditions. These concessions are made as a sign of good faith by this village, and will be fulfilled regardless of whether you ultimately remain in the village."

Around her a number of people began to grumble, but when they heard the condition that the Hokage was agreeing to so readily most of them merely nodded and accepted it. The few who didn't were the few who knew the secret behind Naruto's parentage.

"The identities of your parents, as well as their property and titles, will be returned to you. Should a compromise not be reached between you and the village, I will assign loyal ANBU to assist in packing your property up so that you may take it with you when you leave. Now, would the revealing of your parents be sufficient incentive for you to remain in Konoha while the council deliberates?"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before replying.

"It would, but only under the condition that this council will have one hour to deliberate and make their decision or decide on a compromise to present to me. Hikari and I will wait in the hallway, and will return in one hour exactly. But only if my parents' identities are revealed to me immediately."

Tsunade nodded before lifting a closed envelope and tossing it to Naruto. As Naruto carefully opened and removed the file within Tsunade spoke, clearly and firmly so that everyone else in the chamber could hear her.

"Uzumaki Naruto. You are the son of Uzumaki Kushina of Whirlpool…and Namikaze Minato of Konoha." She paused for one moment as most of the council recognized the names and let out loud gasps. "Naruto, your father…was the Yondaime Hokage."

Naruto however did not reply. His fingers were gripping the file before him tightly as he fought to suppress his emotions. Within him was a raging inferno. A violent cocktail of anger, elation, pride, regret, and everything else under the sun boiled in his chest. Next to him Hikari stepped forward and laid a hand reassuringly on his shoulder, hoping that reminding him of her presence could help calm him. Finally Naruto looked up, his eyes still showing his conflicting emotions.

"Why?" He asked quietly. "Why was I never told?"

Tsunade looked down at him sadly.

"Your parents had a lot of enemies, Naruto-kun. Sarutobi-sensei decided that their identity would be kept secret to ensure your safety until you were adequately trained to defend yourself. Originally, Sarutobi-sensei intended to inform you of their identities when you reached Chunin rank. After this morning's little display, I feel it's safe to say that you are strong enough to take care of yourself. I had the file with me when I entered these chambers, and I intended to reveal the information to you regardless of whether you requested their identities as a condition or not."

Naruto remained standing for several long moments then nodded in acceptance before sliding the file back into the envelope and turning to walk out of the room.

"You have one hour, Hokage-sama."

Hikari glared at the council one last time before turning and following Naruto out, ignoring the angry shouting as the council began to argue.

* * *

As the doors swung closed behind Hikari she watched as Naruto walked over to the nearest seat against the wall and sat down. He was holding the envelope in his hands and just staring down blankly at it with downcast eyes. Thinking quickly, Hikari hurried over and took the seat next to Naruto. She sat there and regarded him with her deep golden eyes for several long minutes before she finally spoke.

"Master…"

Naruto showed no response.

_What's wrong with you, Naruto?_

"Naruto…"

Still no response. Hikari was beginning to get fed up with her master's grumpiness and decided to do something about it. Something to shock him out of his stupor. Something to remind him that he was loved. Something to help her get over her own problems.

Hikari took Naruto's face in her hands and turned him to face her. Just as Naruto's eyes widened in surprise Hikari leant forward and in one brief fiery instant locked her lips with his. Her master, brother, mentor, and as she hoped lover, was knocked completely for a loop. After finding out he was the son of the Yondaime, the man he had respected almost his entire life, getting kissed suddenly by Hikari had completely fried his brain cells.

In short, Uzumaki Naruto fainted.

* * *

As soon as Naruto had exited the room the shouting match began. Tsunade dropped her head in her hands and listened as the council members argued back and forth. A surprisingly large number of them, including the Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Nara, and Akamichi clan heads, were arguing that the boy should be given more than what he asked for, as he was the son of the Yondaime and the entire village had treated him horribly. Others were arguing that while they would agree that he should be given his family assets (_how magnanimous of them, considering that I already ordered that to be done regardless_) that the only one of his other conditions that should be met was reinstating him as a genin and granting Hikari the rank of genin as well. When Tsume asked if they would be agreeing to the condition whole heartedly it was Koharu who replied 'Absolutely not. We will not allow a mere boy to dictate team assignments to us. He and Hikari will be placed where we wish it, go where we wish, and do what we wish, like good little shinobi.' Still others, though small in minority, were demanding that the boy be arrested and forced to breed children for Konoha. By producing heirs to the Namikaze bloodline through other families, they could legally claim the Namikaze estates and fortune and be done with the threat that was Uzumaki Naruto.

The headache Tsunade was already getting was demanding at least a gallon of sake to drown out.

Finally, after over forty minutes of arguing between the different factions she raised her head and slammed her fist into her desk.

"Silence!"

Everyone instantly shut up and turned their attention to her. Tsunade glared out over them before glancing at both of her advisors.

"Koharu, Homura, do you have a compromise to propose for the Namikaze heir?"

Koharu nodded her head and began to speak. As she outlined the compromise she was proposing Tsunade began to nod. She did not necessarily like it, nor all the conditions Naruto was demanding, but she thought they might be able to reach an agreement on this compromise. After a few more minutes of more calm deliberation and discussion a compromise proposal was completed, and Tsunade sent an ANBU to bring Naruto back into the chambers.

* * *

When Naruto finally awoke he blinked his eyes open slowly and then looked around him in confusion. He was lying across several chairs and his head was resting on something warm and comfy. Not really caring or noticing what it was Naruto snuggled his head against it lightly before a soft giggle reached his ears. After a moment he opened his eyes again and turned his head up, looking straight into the giggling face of Hikari. His eyes widened as he realized that for one of the few times in her entire life, she was giggling and openly smiling.

"Finally you wake up Master." Hikari said and giggled again, one of her hands lightly stroking some of Naruto's hair out of his face.

As the memories of what had happened just before he passed out finally surfaced Naruto's face turned bright red.

"Hikari…um…did you just kiss me?"

Hikari's smile became strained and Naruto saw a sudden nervousness and unease in her eyes. Finally she responded.

"Um…yes…"

Naruto blinked.

"Why?"

Hikari turned her head to the side, unable to meet his eyes.

"…because…because I love you, that's why!" She cried as she turned back to face him and tightened her fists.

Naruto's eyes widened once again at that admission.

"Hikari…" He whispered softly, thinking over every interaction with the girl over the past two years. The more he thought about it, the more obvious it was that Hikari had been interested in him for a long time. He just hadn't noticed…or perhaps it was more accurate to say he didn't want to notice. Either way, the point was moot as he now had no choice but to recognize that Hikari liked him that way.

Any further words Naruto might have said were interrupted as the doors to the Council chambers opened once more and an ANBU stepped out.

"Uzumaki-san? The Council is ready to speak with you again."

Naruto sat up and nodded before adjusting his cloak. Hikari blushed and hurriedly did the same. The pair schooled their faces back into masks of impassiveness before following the ANBU into the Council chambers.

As Naruto strode forward to the same place he had been standing before he covertly eyed all the members of the council. Many of them were smirking or sneering at him, while others were glaring or attempting to keep impassive faces. However, thanks to his training he could read every single one of them like an open book, even Hiashi Hyuuga. Thinking back on it, Naruto couldn't understand how he had been unable to read the Hyuuga-teme in the past.

As Naruto's gaze finally settled on Tsunade the blond Hokage cleared her throat and began speaking.

"Uzumaki Naruto, son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. This council has decided upon a proposal to offer you. Understand that the conditions of this proposal are non-negotiable. Should you refuse the proposal, you shall be given one day to speak with your old friends and gather the properties and estates that belong to you now. After that, you will be escorted out of Konoha by a team of ANBU and allowed to leave freely as a retired loyal shinobi of Konoha. Before I tell you the proposal, do you agree to these terms?"

Naruto regarded her for a long moment, mulling over what she said, before finally responding.

"The terms seem reasonable. Continue, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade clasped her hands and began speaking.

"Konoha is prepared to offer you, Uzumaki Naruto, son of Namikaze Minato, the following agreement. First, you shall be reinstated as a genin of Konoha's shinobi force, with all rights and privileges contained there-in. Second, Uzumaki Hikari will be allowed to participate in the genin exam in five day's time. Should she pass, she will be instated as a genin of Konoha and placed on a team with Uzumaki Naruto. The other two members of the team will be decided in a week's time."

_Likely the council will try to put me on a team with shinobi assigned to spy on me, looking for any excuse to have me killed. Heh, let them try. My spies are better than theirs._

Naruto maintained stoic eye contact with Tsunade as she continued.

"Third, as you have been granted all titles and properties belonging to your parents, you shall receive a seat on this council as Namikaze Naruto, son of the Yondaime. During the announcement of this to the village, the council will choose a representative to present an apology for your mistreatment. Fourth, foxes will be added to the list of other species which it is illegal to hunt around Konoha. They will not however be given special protection not afforded to the others on the list. Also, the Namikaze Estates will henceforth be marked as a sanctuary for foxes, and if anyone is caught harming or attempting to harm the foxes on the estates they shall be turned over to the current Namikaze clan head in accordance with the Konoha charter that grants limited autonomy to the clans on their own property."

Naruto smiled faintly to himself. That had been far more than he had expected to get the council to agree upon on that matter, so he considered it something for the win category. Not that he would let Tsunade or the bastard council know that.

"Fifth, this council will not grant prospective shinobi Uzumaki Hikari any special rights beyond those granted to her by her position as a member of the Namikaze clan. She will be expected to behave appropriately, as will you Namikaze Naruto. You will be allowed to defend yourselves within the limits of the current laws, which this council will hold you responsible to learn immediately, as you will be publicly instated as Namikaze Naruto in two days time. Sixth and finally, as the sole surviving male heir of the Namikaze line, it is your responsibility and duty to restore your bloodline under the Clan Restoration Act. You will be required to be married within a month, and be required to take two more wives from amongst the clans who have seats on this council within six. Beyond that you are bound only by the regulations of the Clan Restoration Act on how many additional wives you may take. Also, you will be required to produce an heir within three years from at least one of your wives, and to produce an heir by all three within five years."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He remembered the Clan Restoration Act. Before his 'death' he had heard various people discreetly mention it in reference to Uchiha Sasuke.

"There seems to be an awful lot of what I demanded missing from what you are offering me. And you seem to have placed a number of stipulations yourself." He spoke slowly and in a measured manner, the ice in his voice readily apparent.

_Deception is the key here. Make them think I'm grudgingly accepting the terms they have given, and they will never realize how they have played into my hand. The Clan Restoration Act parts were to be expected, given who my father was, but it is clear that Tsunade ensured that I had the choice in the matter. And if the council attempts to interfere with my choice, I'll use everything at my disposal to take them down._

Tsunade put on a stern look, although Naruto could see the apology in her eyes.

"I am sorry, Uzumaki Naruto, but those are the terms. You and Hikari will be treated according to your station, but you will not be granted rights and privileges denied to the other clans. However, I am giving personal orders to the head of ANBU that anyone caught violating the laws protecting the foxes will be brought before me personally for sentence. They will not be allowed to get off lightly because of the bigotry or favoritism from any member of this council."

Naruto caught the way a number of council members shifted nervously, indicating how that stipulation bothered them.

_Likely they were intending to secretly allow people to kill foxes and then get them off with just a wrist slap when they were caught. I wonder if they were responsible for letting off all the people who attacked me as a child…_

"Also, while your second and third wives are required to be members of the seated clans of this village, the choice is yours as long as you are married within those six months, and the choice for your first wife is entirely up to you, with no restrictions. However, if you fail to meet either of those requirements, an appropriate match will be chosen for you, and you will not be allowed to deny it. To do so would be to surrender your title and the Namikaze fortunes to this village to do with as we see fit. Do we have an understanding?"

Naruto looked down at the ground for a moment before slowly sliding one hand up to the clasp of his cloak. Behind him, Hikari let out a slight gasp.

"The terms are acceptable, Hokage-sama. I, Uzumaki Naruto, agree to live and abide by the terms of this agreement, as long as they are not broken by any member of Konoha or their allies."

Naruto unclasped his cloak and let it fall to the ground as he slowly stepped forward and then kneeled before Tsunade as the blond Hokage motioned for Shizune to carry all three copies of the agreement, all protected by seals and signed by the council in preparation for Naruto's signature, down to him. Many in the council were surprised by what was revealed as Naruto's cloak dropped to the ground behind him, a spot of black on the ground left behind by the shining symbol that was Uzumaki Naruto.

The first thing the gathered council members noticed was the brilliant white battle coat Naruto had been wearing under the cloak. There was a grinning fox head stitched on the back of it in orange, red, and gold thread and red flames that licked along the bottom of it. If you had removed the fox head it would have almost looked like the Yondaime's old battle coat. The next thing they noticed was that under the coat Naruto was wearing a stylish yet functional combat outfit. He wore black boots that reached half-way up his shins and strapped securely with multiple clasps, loose black combat pants with an array of kunai and others weapons stuck into holsters and slots in it, and a sleeveless black mesh shirt. Over that he wore a black vest with gold lining and an X on the front formed by two overlapping lines of what appeared to be custom throwing knives. His forearms were wrapped by bandages, and he was wearing a set of fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back of them. Finally, he had his forehead protector strapped securely to his forehead by a black band with gold lining. Any other details of his clothing were obscured underneath his coat.

Naruto quickly and carefully read over each copy of the agreement before signing all three, surprising the entire council, in blood from his finger. After they had been signed Shizune left one copy with Naruto while returning the others to Tsunade.

"One copy of this agreement shall remain in the possession of the Namikaze clan, one in the archives, and one in the possession of the Hokage. They cannot be altered nor faked, and exist as proof of the agreement between Namikaze Naruto and Konoha. This meeting is hereby adjourned. Namikaze Naruto, I shall have a pair of ANBU escort you and your clan mate to the Namikaze Estates. I am scheduling a meeting for tomorrow at noon to go over all the properties and assets that are now yours and to prepare you for your duties as a clan head. The following day a meeting will be held to instate you officially as Namikaze Naruto and inform the village of your parentage."

Naruto stood and bowed to Tsunade, playing the part of the happy young teenager to a T, before turning with a smile and striding out of the room, followed immediately by the still cloaked Hikari. As soon as the doors had closed behind them they were greeted by a pair of ANBU, one wearing a wolf mask and one wearing a snake mask. Naruto eyed the snake masked one for a moment before sniffing the air. After a few moments his fake smile turned into a feral grin.

"Hello Anko. Long time no see."

While Hikari looked on in confusion the snake masked ANBU chuckled before pushing back her hood and removing her mask, revealing the purple-haired Mitarashi Anko.

"You too brat. You grew up I see. Not bad looking either."

As Anko was saying this the snake mistress had somehow managed to slip behind Naruto and drape her arms around him as she lent her ample and barely covered bust against his back. A second later she froze as she found an odd thin silver knife held in a reverse grip with the tip floating just above her jugular.

"Let go of Master now you hag." Hikari growled.

Anko's eye twitched before she vanished and appeared back by the wolf-masked ANBU screaming.

"Hag…did that little bitch just call me a hag?!"

Naruto groaned and held his forehead with one hand.

"Anko, calm down, please. Hikari has always been overprotective of me, and just a few minutes ago I figured out why. I assure you, she's merely pissed that you were flirting with me so brazenly, and her comments are a reflection of her annoyance."

Anko blinked as she processed that and then her angry glare turned into another lecherous grin as she glanced at the red-haired girl. Sure, most of Hikari's body was covered in a black cloak, but her beauty was startlingly clear in her face and hair. Naruto had scored big time in this little hottie.

"Ooh, I get it now. Little Naru-kun's got himself a lover has he?"

Anko's grin only widened as both Naruto and Hikari blushed a deep crimson red that caused the faint markings on their cheeks to become more prominent. Still grinning at their discomfort Anko and her partner led the blushing pair down the hall and out of the tower.

* * *

Anko and her partner escorted Naruto and Hikari through the streets of Konoha while Naruto kept looking around with a calm faint smile on his face. Everywhere he looked he saw the aftereffects of his little prank earlier that day. He saw people scrubbing orange paint off of everything from carts to pets to an entire restaurant. Naruto instantly understood why the place had taken such a beating: there was a huge sign out front celebrating the death of Naruto and offering free meals to any kid who could throw a kunai point blank between the eyes of a large Naruto dummy. He approved of the excessive coat of paint his clones had given the place.

As they walked they also noticed people occasionally doing a double take and then shooting him a dirty look. Naruto just smirked at that.

_No doubt many of the council members had already sent word of my return and my responsibility for this chaos before the meeting even began._

Naruto snorted.

_No matter. My duty is to protect Konoha, even from itself. Whether these little pissants like and respect me or not is irrelevant._

As they passed Ichiraku's, which Naruto was pleased to note was apparently on a direct route between the Hokage's Tower and wherever the Namikaze Estates were, Ayame caught sight of Naruto and her eyes widened. Naruto chuckled and smiled warmly at the brunette as he sent her a gentle wave, causing Ayame to smile and wave back enthusiastically before running back inside the shop to tell her father.

When they finally reached the Namikaze estates and the pair of ANBU unlocked and pushed open the heavy gates marked with the insignia of the Namikaze clan. Naruto stopped and stared. When he had chosen to return to Konoha, he had never expected something like this.

_Holy mother of god…_

The Namikaze Mansion was fucking enormous!

* * *

Anko and the wolf-masked ANBU walked away from the Namikaze estates while Naruto and Hikari carefully stepped up to the front door of the mansion. Naruto recognized the compound as one of the sealed up abandoned ones he had been forced to skirt during pranks as a child due to the seals around it. Anyone not of the blood who attempted to get through the seals that had been erected to protect it got shocked something fierce; after getting knocked out once by it he had been careful to avoid it at all costs in the future.

Finally, after several minutes of nervous deliberation, Naruto stepped forward and placed his hand on the center of the seal that had been placed over the door and channeled his chakra. A moment later the seal dissolved in a puff of smoke and Naruto carefully pulled open the doors. Inside was revealed a massive entryway, dusty from sixteen years of abandonment, into which the pair slowly stepped. As they walked small clouds of dust were disturbed, and the eddies this caused made it look like they were walking through a low-lying fog bank.

"Wow…" Hikari let out breathlessly.

Even darkened and dusty the elegance of the architecture and the artifacts decorating the entryway were impressive. It was almost like being back in the Hall of Heroes in the Jade Palace.

"I know…" Naruto replied, impressed himself. "Looks like my dad did pretty well for himself."

_Makes me wonder why I was treated so poorly and had so little money growing up, but I guess Jiji had his reasons._

"Naruto…?" Hikari queried, snapping Naruto out of his reverie.

"Yes Hikari?" Naruto replied as he turned to look at her.

Hikari looked down at her feet and seemed to be fiddling with her cloak.

"Can we explore the rest of the mansion? We've had a long day and it's getting late, and I want to get to sleep early."

Naruto regarded Hikari for a moment longer before nodding and grunting in agreement. He turned on his heel and began to stride down one of the connecting hallways that led off from the entryway to the five story mansion. Hikari blinked and then hurriedly followed, not wanting to be left behind by her Master.

* * *

As the pair had explored the mansion Naruto quickly got a grasp of the general layout. The mansion itself was built in a massive square around a large inner courtyard, taking up about a tenth of the grounds that belonged to the Namikaze. The grand entry way and main staircase was part of an additional segment that extended towards the front gate from, the compound and also included large waiting and meeting rooms, obviously meant to be used when handling visitors and not wishing to grant them access to the rest of the complex.

The rest of the structure was a mixture of bedrooms, bathing rooms, and other facilities arranged around the courtyard with a central hallway running the entire length of the building. The only gap was at the exact rear of the courtyard, where the first and second floors stopped for about twenty feet to allow a gated opening from the courtyard into the rear of the property. Naruto had gotten a glimpse of the rear grounds from one of the upper bedrooms while they were exploring, and had noticed several other buildings as well as training grounds and a small lake. Near the rear of the compound was a small forest and Naruto had thought he had caught sight of a large animal moving in it. He made a mental note to investigate later, as if it was a predator it would be a threat to the foxes he intended to raise on his estate.

The courtyard was what had captivated Hikari however. Even after years of neglect it seemed to be in a pristine condition, if a bit overgrown. In one corner was a traditional Zen rock garden, the rocks polished shining pillars of obsidian, while the rest was an elegant garden with tiled paths winding through it. Naruto saw a large number of sakura trees along with a towering sturdy camphor tree that everything seemed to be centered around. The camphor was taller than the entire mansion complex and there appeared to be a small door hidden amongst its curving roots. Naruto had made a mental note to investigate that later as he had summoned a horde of Kage Bunshin and put them to work cleaning the compound. He wasn't very good with gardening, so he intended to hire someone he could at least trust partially to oversee his clones on taking care of the garden at a later date.

Leaving his many replicas to their duty Naruto headed back inside and went in search of his father's room. He found it after another ten minutes of searching in one of the large four room self-contained apartments that were situated near the rear of the mansion. Obviously designed to keep small family groups together in a small place of privacy, he had figured out it was probably his father's when he had opened the door into the suite and discovered the most garish orange paint job he had ever seen in his life. It was the exact same color of the clothes he had used to wear.

_It must be genetic._ He sweat dropped as he stepped in slowly.

As he looked around the dim and dusty room he eyed the relics that were gathered. He saw lots of photos on the wall, most of them of people Naruto recognized as the Yondaime or his team, along with a large portrait of his father and a woman who could only be his mother sitting on an orange divan. The couple was smiling and the red-haired woman was leaning her head against Minato's shoulder as her hands rested lightly on her enlarged stomach. With a slight choke Naruto realized that the portrait had likely been barely completed before…

Turning away so as to keep from tearing up Naruto headed deeper into the suite. Behind him Hikari was gazing at the portrait in an attempt to memorize every detail. She saw the way Minato, so much like his son sans Naruto's whisker marks, was smiling and the way he clearly was in love with the woman in his arms. She noticed the red hair and the brilliant smile and momentarily wondered if she was even worthy of Naruto.

_Would this woman have approved of me? Or would she think me a monster…?_

Finally realizing that Naruto had left her alone she hurried into the next room where she found Naruto standing besides a large red-covered bed looking at a small framed picture that he held in his hands. As Hikari stepped closer she caught sight of the picture and eyed it intently with sadness in her eyes. It was another picture of Minato and his wife, and it showed both of them smiling at the camera with Minato standing behind a seated Kushina. Hikari noticed once more how beautiful Naruto's mother had been and once more wondered if she was good enough to be his lover.

Naruto set the picture of his parents back on the end table and stepped back into the center of the room causing Hikari to scuttle out of the way. He closed his eyes and extended his senses for a few moments before being satisfied that Hikari was the only other human within the confines of the Namikaze estate. He opened his eyes and they slowly changed color as a faintly glowing purple fluid seemed to flow from the corners and cover all but his pupils in purple light.

"_**Saitou, Souzen, Arashi. Report.**_" He said softly but firmly as he raised one open hand before him, his finger tips glowing with a faint purple light. His voice echoed in that odd triple-tone that Hikari had gotten used to hearing from him when he channeled his abilities.

Hikari sat down lightly on the bed and smoothed out her cloak as the air in three locations around Naruto rippled. Slowly three large hazy and indistinct figures, quadrupeds and at least twice the size of an adult human, shifted into view. The first was black as night and had two long furred tails twisting in the air behind it. The second was almost pure snowy white and had two blue-tipped tails that seemed to hover in the air almost as if they were waiting to strike something. The third and final figure was a little larger than the first two and was a vibrant yellow. Its three tails darkened to fiery red tips and its ears were tipped with red. From where Hikari sat she could see the eyes of the two smaller figures, both of which were a deep crimson red.

"**The two elders who serve as advisors to the Hokage clearly do not like you. They were amongst the faction which forced that marriage clause upon you, and from the way they were sharing looks, they are most likely in cahoots with the one-armed cyclops of a man named Danzo, who seemed to have a great deal of pull with the council, and the white-eyed man. I believe you identified that particular clan as…Hyuuga, in your briefing.**" The black figure said as it seemed to bow its head before Naruto.

Naruto appeared to mull over this information for a few moments before nodding and turning to face the white furred figure.

"_**And you Souzen, what did you observe during their deliberations?**_"

"**I identified several clans who for the most part sided with you. They, like many, were against some of your more extreme requests, but they argued in favor of all of the more reasonable ones. It should also be noted that they stood out amongst those who argued against you being forced to accept the Clan Restoration Act, most particularly the stipulations forcing you to marry soon, to marry someone from the seated clans, and granting the council the right to choose your mate should you fail to marry in the allotted time period. One clan in particular stood out above the rest.**"

Naruto again looked thoughtful at this report as the Souzen bowed his head.

"_**Which clans were those, Souzen?**_"

The white furred figure raised its head to speak once more.

"**The Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Nara, Aburame, and Akamichi clans. The Inuzuka clan were the most vocal by far, and the matriarch seemed to almost take the crusade personally. If I am not being too bold, I would recommend seeking for a mate from amongst her clan, even if they do use dogs as partners.**"

Naruto looked askance at Souzen and the white furred figure bowed his head again.

"**My apologies, my lord. I did not mean to overstep my bounds.**"

Naruto chuckled lightly.

"_**No, Souzen, it is alright. It is just that I had not yet begun to think on how I would solve that particular problem. I thank you for your suggestion.**_"

Naruto looked thoughtful then chuckled again.

"_**Yes, if I must take more mates than fate has already bound me to then an Inuzuka would certainly be a worthy match.**_"

Naruto turned to face the third and final figure and inclined his head.

"_**And you, Arashi? What did you observe?**_"

The third and largest of the three figures growled lightly and bowed before speaking. Unlike the first two, its voice was decidedly female.

"**I believe that many of the council have ulterior motives regarding you. Many of them will likely be maneuvering either to form alliances with you or getting you to marry a member of their clans. Notably, the Hyuuga and Shoujin clan heads both appeared to be plotting to introduce you to females of their clan of marrying age as soon as possible. I spotted both men sending messages off to their clan councils both before and after the meeting, and I was able to spy on the messages as they wrote them. The Hyuuga I am sure of, the Shoujin not so much.**"

Arashi finished speaking and stepped back slightly as she bowed again. Naruto looked at the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment before looking back down and nodding.

"_**Very well. Souzen and Saitou, I want the two of you to trail council members Koharu and Homura for the next two days. Report back to me at midnight following the announcement of my title as Namikaze Naruto. Arashi, I want you to follow the big fry, Danzo. It is impossible for normals to detect or affect you while you are shifted, even utilizing seals and chakra, so do not hesitate in your observation of them. Any information, however irrelevant it may seem at the time, is vital. I will not remain in a village this corrupt without adequate understanding of what sort of opponents I am up against. Dismissed.**_"

The three figures bowed and stepped back before they seemed to shimmer and fade out of view. Naruto lowered his hands as the purple glow receded from his eyes and then smiled, turning to face Hikari, who had been patiently observing Naruto's 'guests'.

"Now, I think you and I have some things to discuss, Apprentice." He said with a light chuckle. "Your little confession today has changed the playing field. You do realize that _she_ is going to have something to say about this when she finally arrives, correct?"

Hikari hid her face in her hands for a moment before blinking and looking back up.

"And what about you, Master? You have just signed an agreement saying that you will marry a minimum of three women over the next six months. How do you think _she_ is going to feel about that?" She replied defiantly as she stood and strode over until she was standing with her face mere inches from Naruto's.

"Simple. She'll laugh and say 'I told you so.'"

With that Naruto leant down and captured Hikari's lips with his own as he slowly lead her backwards towards the bed. He had no intention of violating his student, who despite her desire for him was still quite innocent, but at least they could satisfy their lighter urges in order to work off the stress of the day.

Besides, Naruto had not been this close with a female in over a month.

* * *

AN: Ok, first, before I get any stupid questions, the Shoujin are just one of several clans I am creating to flesh out the ranks of both the council and the shinobi. They are a clan who excel in Doton jutsu, nothing much remarkable to say about them beside that except they are very ambitious and see Naruto's ascendancy to his title as last of the Namikaze as a chance to move up in power. As to the three mysterious figures Naruto summoned to his presence, they are a two fold creation. I have truncated and adapted an idea that I may use in another fic, originally inspired by a species called the Shadows in the scifi series Babylon 5, to be used as the base for the demon fox clan in this story. The full idea has a dichotomy between chaos and order in the universe, chaos represented by the demonic clans, and order by the summoning clans. It should be pretty obvious that the foxes represent chaos no matter which form of the idea I am using. For now, I'll just say that they have a LONG history that is deeply related to Naruto himself, and they have a reason to give him their aid and loyalty.

Jaa ne.

-ZI

PS: Hikari is NOT the secret character in the harem, so do not ask. In case you missed it, the listing for the harem was posted at the end of chapter 2. And no, I will not reveal the fifth member of the harem until the appropriate time comes. It is a surprise for a reason.

Of course, I now get to leave you all hanging and wondering just who or what Hikari really is.

BN: I KNOW!! I KNOW!! :D But I won't tell… heh heh heh…

PPS: Oh, almost forgot. I am currently developing several fic challenges, which shall be posted on my profile once complete. They are fairly detailed bases, that may be altered if necessary by any who choose to attempt them. My only request is to be allowed to function as a beta for them, and I will be more than happy to assist with ideating for them if any authors take up the challenge. Currently I am preparing five different proposals for a single challenge, each for a different series and with the same basic premise. Naruto is one of these series, and hopefully soon the challenge shall be up and authors will take it.

XXXXXXX

BN: Hey there, ZI's Beta here! I'm going to ninja all your brains for a second here for your recommended daily bout of insanity. :D

"While Sunflower Seeds are a healthful and delicious snacking choice, they are never recommended for infants and toddlers, as the seeds can pose a choking threat to their safety."

…Well, I guess no more sunflower seeds for me… Ok. Here are your brains back!


End file.
